Path to Happiness: The Millennium Items
by yugiyamifangirl
Summary: SEQUEL TO DEFEATING A TYRANT! All the same pairings apply. There will be puzzleshipping in this one! I promise! Summary and warnings inside. YAOI! DON'T LIKE YAOI, DON'T READ THIS!
1. The Task

Here's the second story in the Path to Happiness series. Consider it a sequel to Defeating a Tyrant.

Pairings:

YamixYugi(Puzzleshipping)

AtemuxHeba(Blindshipping)

SetoxJoey(Puppyshupping)

BakuraxRyouy(Tendershipping)

MarikxMalik(Brinzeshipping)

IsisxMahado(Pleashipping)

AknankanonxAmara(no shipping)

In this story, Yami and Yugi is the pairing that will get the most loving. I assure you that puzzleshipping will be in this one.

Note: The Millennium items will come in later in the story. I'm going to change their origin a little to fit my story. I may toy with who gets what item, too.

Summary: Now that Yugi is Emperor, he is working to rebuild his kingdom and aid his people. Aknankanon, wanting to consolidate relations with the Millennial Kingdom, sends Yami there to help in the process as well as discuss a peace between the Millennial Kingdom and Egypt. While he is there, Yami learns a great deal about the new king. As Yami spends six months in the Millennial Kingdom, he and Yugi admit their love for each other. However, the call of duty rips them apart as Yugi's place is in the Millennial Kingdom, and Yami feels that his place is in Egypt. When Yami returns, a dark force attacks Egypt, intent on brining about it's destruction. The Millennium items, sacred items that are from the Millennial Kingdom, are said to have the power to save Egypt. They are hidden throughout the world. Heba, Joey, Ryou, Malik, Atemu, Bakura, Seto, Marik, and Yami must find the items to save their kingdom. Will the power of the Millennium items and the Millennial army be enough to save Egypt? Will Ehypt survive with the help of its allies, or will Egypt all? Nost importantantly, what will become of Yugi and Yami's relationship? Will Yami choose his duty to Egypt or his duty to his heart?

Warnings: lemons, mpreg(probably won't hvae mpreg until near the end), once again, everything is modernized

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot!

* * *

Chapter 1- The Task

"Why me, Dad?" Yami asked.

"Because you're the only one left." Aknankanon said.

Aknankanon had just informed Yami that he would be going to the Millennial Kingdom to remain there for about six months so that he could help in restoring the Millennial Kingdom as well as act as an ambassador for Egypt in ensuring that a permanent peace between Egypt and the Millennial Kingdom would be brought.

"Dad, I don't see why I have to do this. You know that Seto or Atemu would be better to do this than me. Hell, even Marik and Bakura would be better suited for this." Yami said.

Aknankanon stopped walking and turned to look at Yami. "Marik and Bakura?" Aknankanon asked.

"Okay. Maybe not those two, but still." Yami said.

Aknankanon sighed. "Yami, the reason that I don't want Atemu, Seto, Marik, or Bakura going is because they are too closely tied to Heba, Joey, Malik, and Ryou. I can't spare any of the priests at the moment. That's why you're the one that is going to go, Yami. This isn't a discussion." Aknankanon remarked.

Yami sighed. "All right, Dad." Yami said.

Aknankanon looked over his son. "Yami, I understand that you don't really want to do this. It's just the way things need to be." Aknankanon said.

"I know, Father. When am I going?" Yami asked.

"In a week's time. Emperor Yugi already knows you will be coming and that you will be staying for six months. Try to be on your best behavior. Don't forget that you are representing Egypt while you're there." Aknankanon said.

"I know, Dad. I'm not Bakura and Marik. I'm not going to do anything that's dangerous to Egypt." Yami said.

"All right." Aknankanon said before walking off.

Yami sighed. 'I guess I'm going to be stuck in another culture for a while.' Yami thought, not exactly thrilled at the prospect of having to stay in the Millennial Kingdom for half a year.

* * *

"Have the repairs to the towns begun?" Yugi asked as he walked down the hall with Dartz.

"Yes. All towns have begun their repairs, but it's going to take a lot of time. There are only a few people who have the skill in this type of work." Dartz said.

"Are there any soldiers who have that skill?" Yugi asked.

"Many." Dartz answered.

"Good. We'll take volunteers first. Anyone willing to help out." Yugi said as he looked over a few of the papers that he had been given.

"Just out of curiosity, are you planning to remodel the palace?" Dartz asked.

"Not at the moment. Why?" Yugi asked.

"Because I've see blueprints for different area." Dartz said.

"That would be for the parts of the palace that were destroyed in the battle last week against my father and his men. The throne room, the courtyard, and a few other rooms were pretty badly damaged. That's what the blueprints are for. To repair them." Yugi said.

"Oh. That does make sense." Dartz said.

"I'm mainly focusing on the towns right now. I want to get the people back in a better position than my father left them." Yugi said.

"Understandable. What about the prince form Egypt?" Dartz asked.

"Prince Yami will be here to aid us in any way he can as far as the repairs go." Yugi said.

"He's here to ensure that we make a permanent peace with Egypt." Dartz said as they walked into a command room.

"I know that, and I can understand the Pharaoh's point of view. They have a bad experience with our kingdom, and I understand. He wants to protest his people." Yugi said.

"He will be coming then." Dartz said.

"He'll be arriving some time next week." Yugi answered.

"We had better prepare a room for him then." Dartz said.

"Already being done." Yugi said, handing the papers to Dartz.

"Where are you going?" Dartz asked.

"Where else? To see what I can do." Yugi said before leaving.

Dartz shook his head. "A most unconventional ruler.' Dartz said.

"Perhaps." Solomon said, walking over to Dartz. "I know Yugi's wanting to help rebuild the kingdom in a hands-on manner is unconventional, but it is effective. The people have a great amount of respect and loyalty toward Yugi." Solomon said.

"Yes. His helping them in the way he is truly has reinforced the idea that he is a good ruler. He may have only been in power a week, but he has the full support of the people as well as the nobles who chose not to support Kenshin." Dartz said.

"Yugi is already working on changing the outrageous laws Kenshin out into place. He is doing what he can to aid them." Solomon said.

"Yes. I think that the kingdom is in much better hands." Dartz said.

* * *

Yami had gone back to his room and decided to go ahead and to go ahead and pack for his trip. He may not have liked having to go, but he would go and do what he had been told in the best way that he possibly could.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Yami said.

The door opened, and Atemu and Heba walked into the room.

"Hi, Yami." Atemu said.

"Hey. What are you two doing here?" Yami asked.

"Well, we heard about what Dad is having you do." Atemu said.

"Oh. That." Yami said.

"Are you okay with this?" Atemu asked.

"I don't have much of a choice at the moment, Atemu. I'll be fine. I'm doing what I was told. Nothing more." Yami said.

"Sorry about this." Atemu said.

"Not your fault. It's probably not a bad idea for me to go. I've always wanted the chance to live in a different culture for a period of time. Now's my chance to." Yami said.

"Things won't be as bad as you think, Yami." Heba said.

"Well, I'll find out pretty soon." Yami said.

"Don't worry about it, Yami. It's only for six months." Atemu said.

"So I've heard." Yami said. He looked at Heba and said, "Any advice on how to act with your brother?"

"Yami, with Yugi, all you have to do is be yourself. He would prefer that you be like that." Heba said.

"That doesn't help me too much." Yami said.

"I know. You'll find out for yourself. Yugi's a pretty good person. It takes a lot to really make him mad." Heba said.

"I hope that you're right." Yami said.

"I am, Yami. Once you get to know Yugi, I think that you'll be fine." Heba said.

"Okay. Just so you know, I'm going to hold you to that." Yami said.

"Be my guest." Heba said.

"Don't worry about it, Yami. You'll be back home before you know it." Atemu said before he and Heba left the room.

Yami sat down on his bed and sighed. 'Well, I think I did learn something from the way Atemu and the others treated Heba and the others when they first got here. I'm going to try to befriend Yugi. I really don't want to argue with him all the time.' Yami thought.

With that thought in mind, Yami got back to packing up his things.

* * *

Yugi was out in one of the towns, helping the townspeople rebuild the city.

Yugi was very goof with his hands, so he aided the people in rebuilding the are.

The men and the women that were working with Yugi were grateful for his help. All the people were happy that their new ruler was taking such an interest in them and was so willing to do the manual labor that would help the town.

Yugi was currently helping rebuild one of the houses. He worked with several others as well as the use of equipment to get the house rebuilt.

"Well, that's another house that's back on its feet." a man said when they finished the house.

"Yes, but there's still a lot that we are going to have to do." Yugi said as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

A woman came up with a tray of drinks and said, "I think that you could all use a cool drink."

All of the men, including Yugi, took the cold drinks gratefully.

"Thank you." Yugi said to the woman.

"It was my pleasure, Emperor." the woman said.

It still felt weird when Yugi would hear people call him Emperor. He knew that it was something he would eventually get used to, but it was still just odd.

"Emperor, if I may ask, what is the progress with the other towns?" a man asked.

"There are more than enough people to help with the rebuilding process, but there is a lack of people skilled in construction. The progress is slow mainly for that reason." Yugi answered.

"May I make a suggestion?" the man asked.

"Certainly." Yugi answered.

"Perhaps what needs to be done is have the people from all the towns that are skilled construction workers and, if they are willing, have them go to the different towns and supervise the rebuilding process in that town. There may not be people skilled with the tools, but they can be taught as long as the one supervising everything knows what to do." the man explained.

"Hmm. That is a good idea. What is you name?" Yugi asked.

"Nakamuri." the man answered.

"Well, Nakamuri, I appreciate the advice. That is a good idea that you came up with. It would be a great help to us." Yugi said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I just want to help." Nakamuri said.

Yugi nodded.

The group then got back to work on rebuilding parts of the town.

* * *

"Man. Do I feel for Yami." Bakura said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Why's that?" Malik demanded.

"I wouldn't want to have to go and stay in the Millennial Kingdom for six months. That would be pure torture." Bakura said.

Malik glared at Bakura. He then used his foot to tip the chair Bakura was sitting in over, which wasn't hard since Bakura already had it tilted back, and caused Bakura to fall to the ground.

"Oww! What the hell was that for?!" Bakura shouted, rubbing the back of his head as he glared at Malik.

"That was for insulting my homeland, idiot!" Malik snapped.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "It's not that big of a deal, Malik. Bakura didn't mean to insult us." Ryou said.

"Not mean to! He said that it would be torture to be in the Millennial Kingdom for six months! He hasn't been there for very much or for very long!" Malik growled.

"Well, you didn't have to knock me over!" Bakura snapped as he got onto his feet.

"Well, I thought that it was necessary." Malik retorted.

"Okay. Both of you knock it off!" Seto snapped as he stopped his make out session with Joey to glare at them. "We don't know what the Millennial Kingdom is really like, and definitely not now with the change of emperors. We don't have the right to judge them, and especially not based on the actions of a tyrant who is now dead. Besides, it doesn't seem to bother Yami too much, so let it be." Seto said. He then turned his attention back to his husband.

"Come on, you two." Ryou said.

Bakura sighed. "All right. Sorry about that Malik. I don't know much about the Millennial Kingdom, and I shouldn't have said it that way." Bakura said.

"Yeah. Sorry for tripping you." Malik said.

"Thank you. That's wasn't do bad, now was it?" Ryou asked.

"No." the two grumbled.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "You two are impossible to deal with sometimes." Ryou said.

Marik laughed. "And I love it so much." Marik said.

"You what?" Ryou said, shocked.

"Yeah. I like it when Malik gets feisty, defense, and sadistic. It's so much fun to see him like that." Marik said.

Malik glared. "Shut up, or you're sleeping alone tonight!" Malik snapped.

Ryou shook his head. "You two are strange." Ryou said.

"Yeah, but we work well." Malik said.

Ryou sighed. "I'm glad that at least Seto, Joey, Atemu, and Heba are normal couples." Ryou said.

A moan was heard, and the group looked to see that Seto and Joey were still looked in a heavy make-out session.

"They may like to make-out a lot, but at least they are normal." Malik said.

* * *

"Do you really have to send Yami?" Amara asked.

"Yes, I do. He's the only one left that can do it. Atemu, Seto, Bakura, and Marik all are too closely tied to the Millennial Kingdom because of their marriages. We can't spare the priests now. You and I can't go, and there's no else that I would trust this to other than Yami." Aknankanon said.

Amara sat down on their bed. "I know, but it just wish that Yami didn't have to go. I haven's had either one of our sons away from us for so long." Amara said.

Aknankanon chuckled. "Yami's almost eighteen years old, Amara. He's a man now, and we have to let go at some point. It will be odd, but it's not forever." Aknankanon said.

"I know. I understand that what Yami is doing is for the good of the kingdom." Amara said.

Aknankanon smiled. "He'll be fine. I only hope that his meeting with Emperor Yugi starts off better than Atemu's did with Heba or any of the others for that matter." Aknankanon said.

"I hope so, too." Amara said.

* * *

Night had fallen in the Millennial Kingdom, and Yugi was currently sitting at his desk, going over some of the plans for the rebuilding of the kingdom.

'This is going to take a while.' Yugi thought as he looked over everything.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Yugi called without looking up.

The door opened.

"Yugi, why are you still in here?" Solomon asked.

"Because there's a lot of work that I need to get done. There's laws to change, plans for the rebuilding of the kingdom to look over, and a million other things that I need to do." Yugi said.

Solomon walked over and put a hand on Yugi's hand.

Yugi looked up at his grandfather.

"Yugi, I understand why you want to do all this, but overworking yourself is not going to help. You are trying to do all this as well as aid physically in the rebuilding process." Solomon said.

Yugi sighed. "Grandpa, I just want to set everything right. Father messed everything up. In more ways than one. I have so much that I have to make right. I just want to be a good king to these people. They have been through enough as it is." Yugi said.

Solomon smiled kindly. "I know, and the fact that you are stressing over everything like this tells me that you will be a great ruler. However, wearing yourself thin will not help anyone. You need to take it one step at a time." Solomon said.

Yugi sighed. "Okay, Grandpa." Yugi agreed. He out everything away in his desk before he followed his grandfather. "Oh! That's right!" Yugi exclaimed.

"What?" Solomon asked.

"I need to make sure that everything is ready for when Prince Yami comes. His room has to be prepared. He is our guest." Yugi said, staring to leave.

Solomon placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Yugi, he will not arrive until next week. You don't need to stress over it. There is plenty of time. Right now, I think that you need to eat dinner and relax." Solomon said.

Yugi nodded his agreement. He went to his room before he had a servant bring food up to his room.

Letting out a sigh, Yugi took off the cape as well as his crown. He sat down in a chair.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Yugi called.

A servant girl walked into the room. "Here's the food that you ordered, Your Majesty." the girl said.

Yugi motioned for her to set the food on the table.

The girl did as she was ordered before she left the room.

Yugi then started to eat. He was very tired and just wanted to eat, take a bath, and go to bed.

After he finished the food, Yugi set the tray outside his room before he walked to the bathing chambers. He undressed and climbed into the hot water.

Yugi let out a sigh of approval as his body entered the warm water. 'This is more like it.' Yugi thought.

Yugi relaxed in the bath for a while before he finally got out, dried off, and then changed into nightclothes before he headed to bed.

* * *

Yami was laying on his bed, trying to watch TV, but he couldn't pay attention to it. Finally, Yami just turned off the television before he lay back on his bed, starring at the ceiling.

'In a few days, I'll be in the Millennium Kingdom for six months. I can't help but wonder what it's going to be like there. I've never been somewhere like that before.' Yami thought.

Yami hadn't told anyone, but he was rather excited about going. He wanted to see what the Millennium Kingdom was like. He wanted to see their culture and how it differed from his own.

'I hope that I'm not too much trouble for the Emperor. I don't want to interfere with what he does. I know that Dad has a good reason for this, but I don't want inconvenience the Emperor because of this.' Yami thought.

Yami got up and walked over the balcony. He placed his hands on the rail before he looked up at the night sky.

The night was peaceful and cool. It was a nice night.

Yami smiled. 'I wonder what nights are like in the Millennial Kingdom. I wonder if they're as beautiful as they are here.' Yami thought.

* * *

Heba groaned as Atemu released inside of him.

Exhausted, Atemu pulled out of Heba before he lay down beside his husband.

Heba then turned over and cuddled up again his husband, resting his head on Atemu's chest. "Hmm. That was amazing, as always." Heba said.

Atemu chuckled. "I had hoped that you would say that, Heba. I would hate for it to get boring for you." Atemu said.

"Boring? You find ways to make it interesting. Besides, there's no one else that I would want to be with in this way." Heba said, looking up at Atemu.

Atemu leaned down and kissed Heba. "Glad to hear that. I would kill you and anyone else if I ever found you with another." Atemu said.

Heba chuckled. "Likewise." Heba said.

The two then settled down.

"Heba, do you think that Yami is going to be all right? Going to your homeland I mean?" Atemu asked.

Heba sighed and sat up. "Atemu, nothing is going to happen to Yami. Yugi isn't like that." Heba said.

Atemu reached up and pulled Heba back down so that Heba was laying chest to chest on him. "I didn't mean it like that, Heba. All I meant was do you think that he'll be able to fit in." Atemu said.

"Oh. I'm sure that he will. As long as he is himself and honest with Yugi, they won't have a problem." Heba said.

"Honest?" Atemu asked.

"It's a personal thing with Yugi. He values honesty, and he expects other people to be honest with him. Yami could be as blunt as he wanted with Yugi. He could tell Yugi that he hated him and that he was the worst king in the history of kings if he felt that way. As long as Yami is honest, he won't have any problems getting along with Yugi. Now, our culture is a bit different than what Yami is used to, but I think that Yami is going to be able to adjust rather easily." Heba said.

"If you say so. I just worry about him." Atemu said.

"I know you do, Atemu, but I can assure you that he is not in any kind of danger, and you know that I wouldn't lie to you about something like this." Heba said.

Atemu leaned up and kissed Heba affectionately on the cheek. "I know, Heba. You wouldn't lie to me period. I was just wondering." Atemu said.

"Okay, Atemu. I'm sure that Yami will be fine. Besides, you know that your father let us set up one of the rooms in the palace with equipment from the Millennial Kingdom so that we communicate with Yugi on a regular basis. We can use that to talk to Yami." Heba said.

"I know. It just won't be the same, not seeing my brother every day." Atemu stated.

"Now you know how I feel." Heba said.

"Okay. You've made all your points." Atemu said.

"Glad to hear that. Now, I think that we should go to sleep. I don't think your father would appreciate it if we ended up falling asleep during the meeting tomorrow." Heba said.

Atemu laughed. "Yeah. He did yell good at Bakura and Marik when they fell asleep during the meeting that one time." Atemu said.

"Yell good? He yelled so loud that I swear there were cracks that formed in the throne room walls from it. We all had trouble hearing anything for the rest of the day." Heba said.

Atemu laughed. "But it was so much fun watching them get yelled at." Atemu said.

"That's almost a daily occurrence." Heba said.

"Yeah. I suppose so." Atemu said.

Heba settled beside Atemu in a more comfortable position before the two fell asleep.

* * *

Yugi had made sure that everything was ready for Yami's arrival. He had checked over everything just to be certain.

"Why does everything being right for Prince Yami matter so much?" Dartz asked.

"Because first impressions are what starts to form an opinion of the person. Besides, he's my brother's brother-in-law, and I really want things to be right for him. Plus, it won't do any good to give him a negative view of us." Yugi said.

"Point taken, although he has already had his first impression. He met you when the battle with Kenshin took place." Dartz said.

"I know, but that was under different circumstances." Yugi said.

"Point well taken." Dartz agreed.

"In any case, everything is ready for Prince Yami's arrival tomorrow. Now, I have to go and oversee some repairs in one the towns." Yugi said.

"Nakamuri's plan was certainly a good one. It has helped a lot. The rebuilding will still take a while, but he did come up with a way to speed up the process." Dartz said.

"I know. You're going to oversee the repairs to the palace, right?" Yugi asked.

"Of course. Well, Lord Solomon and I are, anyway." Dartz said.

"I know. Thanks." Yugi said before he left.

Dartz smiled. 'He is certainly a bit unconventional, but he's popular with the people, and that's what matters.' Dartz thought. He then went to aid in overseeing the repairs to the palace.

* * *

The day had come for Yami to go to the Millennial Kingdom.

"You take care of yourself, Yami, and keep in touch with us." Amara said, hugging Yami tightly.

Yami winced at the strength behind the hug.

Amara may have looked like a small woman, but she had a great deal of upper body strength.

Yami looked at his father, asking for help/

Aknankanon chuckled. "Let the boy breath, Amara." Aknankanon said.

Amara then let go of her son.

"I'll keep in touch, Mom. I promise." Yami said.

"You take care, Yami. Don't do something that'll send us to war." Atemu said, hugging his brother.

"I'm not Marik and Bakura, Atemu." Yami said.

"Hey!" Bakura and Marik shouted indignantly.

"Come on, guys. You know that you cause a lot of trouble." Yami said.

The two glared at Yami, but hugged him goodbye anyway.

"You be careful." Seto said.

"I will." Yami said.

"You'll be fine, Yami." Heba said as he hugged his brother-in-law.

"Thanks, Heba." Yami said.

"Don't fall for the charms of any of the girls over there." Joey said jokingly.

"Please. That won't be happening." Yami said.

They all knew that Yami preferred men like his brother and cousins.

"You had better go, Yami." Aknankanon said.

"Okay, Dad." Yami said.

"You be careful, and try to stay out of trouble." Aknankanon said.

"I'm not Marik and Bakura. I don't try to start wars." Yami said.

"Yami!" Bakura and Marik should, intending to murder Yami.

But Yami had already stepped through the portal that Heba had created and was gone.

"I'm killing him when he gets back." Bakura muttered.

"You'll forget about it before then." Ryou said.

Atemu smiled. 'Good luck, Yami. I hope you enjoy there. You'll be there for a while.' Atemu thought.

The group then spread out.

* * *

Hope you liked it. This was just to set up for when Yami went to the Millennial Kingdom.

Next: Yami's first day in the Millennial Kingdom. He has interaction with Yugi. (Sorry. Nothing romantic yet.)

R&R.


	2. The First Day

I couldn't get the Document Manager/Upload to work, so that's why this is late.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2- The First Day

Yugi had known that Yami would be arriving that day, so he was ready for when Yami arrived. He had sensed when Heba had opened the portal.

Yami stepped out of the portal and looked around at the lavish palace in amazement.

The Millennial Palace was much more lavish than the one in Egypt.

Yugi was standing behind Yami. "Welcome to the Millennial Kingdom, Prince Yami." Yugi said.

Yami turned around to face Yugi. "Thank you for having me, Emperor Yugi." Yami replied, bowing to him.

"Please. You don't need to bow to me at any time during your stay. And just call me Yugi." Yugi told him.

"Are you sure?" Yami asked, knowing that calling him by his title was a sign of respect.

"I am certain, Prince Yami. I would prefer it this way." Yugi said.

"All right then, and please just call me Yami." Yami said, not really wanting to be called by his title.

"Fair's fair. Come this way. I'll show you to your room." Yugi said.

Yami started to follow Yugi down the hall

As the two made their way through the different halls, Yami noticed that there were sculptures and statues all over the place. Paintings were also hung on the wall on both side of the hall.

Yugi noticed that Yami was looking at all the artwork that was in the palace. "All this artwork is what has been accumulated over the years through the different reigns. They have been here for many years." Yugi said.

"Who made them?" Yami asked.

"Different painters and sculptures. Some just did these works of art, and some were pieces commissioned by the different kings." Yugi replied.

The two then arrived at a door.

"This will be your room, Yami. All your things that were sent here before are already in the room. I'll give you time to relax." Yugi said.

"Thanks you." Yami said.

Yugi smiled at him before he walked off.

Yami then walked into the room. He found that the bags and things that were sent there a few days before were, indeed, in the room.

Yami then took a look around the room.

The bed was twice the size of a king size bed, and it had fresh, silk sheets on the bed. There was a table beside the bed with a lamp beside it. There was a big bureau in a corner of the large room with a mirror on it. There was a love seat in the room as well as a recliner. A TV on a stand was in the room as well. There was also a Playstation 3 and a Wii in the room, too, along with several games for each.

Yami walked to one of the doors in the room and found that it was a closet for more things. He opened another door and found that it led into a large bathing room.

'This place is certainly lavish.' Yami thought, impressed with the way that everything was done.

Yami then walked back to his things and started to take everything out, putting them away in either the bureau or the closet.

After Yami finished putting everything away, he sat down on the bed and let out a sigh. 'I guess my stay here has begun.' Yami thought. He couldn't help but wonder how things would go from now on.

* * *

Yugi walked into the command room where he found his grandfather and Dartz in the room. "Anything that I need to know about?" Yugi asked.

The two turned to face Yugi.

"What are you doing here? I thought that you were meeting Prince Yami." Solomon said.

"I did, Grandpa. I showed him to his room, and I left him there so that he could take the time relax. He's fine, Grandpa." Yugi said.

"Well, the idea to have someone who was trained in construction to supervise each town and aid the ones that didn't know is working well. We have made twice the progress that we were before." Dartz said.

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that the rebuilding process is going faster." Yugi said.

"There is something else that we have to address." Solomon said.

"What's that?" Yugi asked.

"There are a few of Kenshin's loyal followers that have not been dealt with. Matsumoto is one of the main ones that we haven't dealt with yet. He is one of the ones that could bring about a rebellion against you." Solomon said.

"I know, Grandpa. I plan on dealing with him today as well as the other supporters." Yugi said.

Yugi knew that it was important to ensure that all of the people that supported his father were dead. They were a liability that he could not afford to leave alive. Yugi didn't want to take the chance that they would form a rebellion against him.

"Good. We can't have them trying to bring an end to what you are trying to create." Dartz said, knowing that what Yugi was doing wasn't something that they would want.

"What about Prince Yami? Will he watch what happens in the proceedings?" Solomon asked.

"Yes. Pharaoh Aknankanon sent him here as a representative for Egypt. He is supposed to witness all aspects of the kingdom, and I'm afraid that seeing that sort of thing is something that he will be expected to do." Yugi said.

"It is for the best that they are dealt with soon." Dartz said.

"I know, Dartz." Yugi said.

* * *

Yami had gotten sick of sitting around doing nothing, so he had left the room he had been given and was currently walking around the palace. He was looking around at everything.

"What are you doing there?" a sharp voice asked.

Yami turned to find that someone was approaching.

It was Rafael, who had aided Yugi in the rebellion.

"Oh! Prince Yami, I apologize. I didn't realize that it was you." Rafael immediately apologized once he realized whom he had spoken to.

Yami remembered him. "You're Rafael, right?" Yami asked.

"Yes, I am. I apologize for how I spoke to you." Rafael said.

"Don't worry about it. Why did you act like that?" Yami asked.

"You were getting close to the Emperor's rooms, and I didn't realize who you were at first." Rafael said.

"Oh. Yugi gave me time to relax, and I got bored, so I decided to explore a little. I had no idea that my room was so close to his." Yami said.

"Well, you're an important guest, so it doesn't surprise me that he felt like that. If you want to see him, I can take you to him now." Rafael said.

"I would appreciate that." Yami agreed.

Rafael then led Yami down the hall to where he knew Yugi probably was.

* * *

"Dartz, could you get Rafael, Valon, and Alister to get Matsumoto and bring him to the throne room?" Yugi asked.

"Certainly." Dartz answered. He started to leave when Rafael walked into the room with Yami.

Yugi turned at sensing the new presences and saw Yami. "Yami, what are you doing here?" Yugi asked.

"I was a little bored, so I started to explore the palace. Rafael led me here." Yami answered.

"Okay. Rafael, go get Valon and Alister and bring Matsumoto to the throne room for me." Yugi said.

"Of course, Emperor Yugi." Rafael said. He bowed before leaving.

"I'll give you a tour of the palace later on. I'm sorry that I didn't think about you wanting to leave the room." Yugi said.

"It's all right. I know that you have a lot on your mind." Yami said.

Solomon chuckled. "He makes a good point, Yugi. You do have a great deal that is on your mind." Solomon said.

"Hello again, Lord Solomon." Yami said.

"Please, just call me Solomon." Solomon said.

"Call me Yami then." Yami replied.

"Very well." Solomon said.

"I know I have a lot on my mind, Grandpa. It doesn't excuse my forgetfulness." Yugi said.

"It's no big deal." Yami assured him. He thought a moment before he said, "Who is Matsumoto, anyway?"

"Matsumoto was one of my father's greatest supporters. In fact, he was actually my father's right-hand man. He could be a major threat to us if not dealt with immediately along with a few others. We haven't dealt with all of my father's supporters yet. I'll be dealing with the last few now." Yugi answered.

Yami nodded. "I understand." Yami said.

"If you wish, you can attend." Yugi said.

"I think that I will." Yami said, knowing that he needed to observe all aspects of the kingdom while he was there.

"You should go on to the throne room then." Solomon suggested.

"You're right. Do you want to come now, Yami?" Yugi asked.

"I believe that I will." Yami said.

The two the left the room.

"If you don't mind me asking, wasn't the throne room destroyed when the battle with your father was going on?" Yami asked.

"Yes, it was. Most of my focus has been on rebuilding the towns that were destroyed during my father's reign of terror. Dartz is the head of a small crew that is slowly rebuilding the parts of the palace that were destroyed in the battle." Yugi said.

"I see. How is rebuilding the kingdom going?" Yami asked, curious.

"It's coming along, but it's going to take a while to get everything fixed, and it's going to take even longer to get all of the people back on their feet." Yugi said.

"Well, I'm sure that you'll be able to help them." Yami said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I wish that I was as confident as you." Yugi said.

"It might take a while, but you're trying. From what I do know, it's more than your father did." Yami said.

"It's a lot more than my father did." Yugi agreed.

The two then entered the throne room. There were still a few signs of the battle that had taken place, but not as many signs.

"You can sit over there during all of this." Yugi said, motioning to a chair that was not that far from the throne itself.

"All right." Yami agreed.

It wasn't long before Yugi was informed that Alister, Valon, and Rafael had Matsumoto, and that they would be bringing him to the throne shortly.

Dartz and Solomon soon arrived with a few other people who had to be there when all this took place.

Yugi sat down on the throne, and Yami sat down in the seat that Yugi had pointed out to him.

"Tell them to bring him in." Yugi said in a commanding voice.

A few moments later, Rafael walked into the throne room with Alister and Valon behind him, bringing a struggling Matsumoto into the room.

"Let go of me this instant! This is an outrage! I am of noble class! I won't have peasant like you manhandling me!" Matsumoto growled as he tried to get away.

Alister and Valon were much stronger than the man was, so Matsumoto was no match for the two of them.

'He hasn't taken well to the change in rulers.' Yami thought, seeing the look of anger and hatred that Matsumoto was looking at Yugi with.

Alister and Valon forced Matsumoto to kneel before the throne with Rafael standing not that far away, in case Alister and Valon needed his help in any way.

"Matsumoto!" Yugi said in a loud, firm voice.

Every person in the room, including the angered Matsumoto, looked at Yugi.

"You have been brought here charged as a traitor to the Millennial Kingdom for your aiding the former Emperor in his reign of tyranny." Yugi said.

"You shouldn't even be the Emperor! If Emperor Kenshin were here, he would show you a thing or two!" Matsumoto spat with resentment.

"In case you have forgotten, Matsumoto, I defeated my father in a fair battle. You know the terms of the Huang Day Ching." Yugi said.

"It doesn't matter! As far as I am concerned, you are no Emperor!" Matsumoto spat.

'I think I understand why Yugi wants to deal with him as soon as possible. He would cause problems for them and try to rouse anger toward Yugi. Getting rid of him is the best thing.' Yami thought.

"What you think is of no consequence, Matsumoto. You are completely loyal to my father, and I cannot have someone who would do all that he did in my kingdom. You will be sentenced to death fro your role in all that happened during my father's reign." Yugi said.

"You don't have the authority to do that!" Matsumoto shouted.

"Actually, I do. I earned that right when I defeated my father. Take him back to the dungeons and make sure that he is secured in the cell before you leave." Yugi said.

The three nodded and dragged the struggling Matsumoto from the throne room.

Yugi shook his. They will all be like this, won't they?" Yugi asked.

"I'm afraid so." Solomon replied.

Yami felt sorry for Yugi. 'At least Atemu won't have to deal with things like this when he becomes Pharaoh of Egypt.' Yami thought.

The entire session continued like this. All of Kenshin's followers thought that Yugi didn't deserve to be king, and none of them showed any sort of respect. Yugi was forced to sentence them all to death.

"Some people just don't accept change." Dartz said.

"Unless the change is something works in favor of them. This doesn't work in their favor." Solomon stated.

Yugi dismissed the court, knowing that there was nothing else to be done that day.

"Yugi, do so many not like you being king now because they don't have as much freedom as they did under your father?" Yami asked.

"In a way. You see, they could attack, torture, rape, steal from, or even kill the common people without any repercussions. They know that they won't get away with it now. That's what they don't like." Yugi said.

"They don't like the fact that they won't be able to treat people like dirt anymore." Yami said.

"Exactly." Yugi answered.

"Well, I don't think that you were given much of a choice." Yami said.

"Thanks." Yugi said.

"What are you going to do now?" Yami asked.

"At this moment, I'm going to one of the nearby towns." Yugi answered.

"Why?" Yami asked.

Yugi smiled. "Come on. I'll show you." Yugi answered.

Yami nodded and followed Yugi out.

* * *

Atemu and Heba were in their room.

"I wonder how Yami's doing." Atemu said as he starred at the TV screen even though he wasn't really watching it.

Heba rolled his eyes as he lowered his book. "Até, he is going to be fine. I promise." Heba said.

"I know. I'm more wondering how he is going to adjust to being away from here for so long." Atemu said.

"Yami's a big boy, Yami. He can take care of himself." Heba said.

"Forgive me for worrying about my brother." Atemu retorted.

Heba put his book down and stood up from the chair he was in. He walked over to the bed and climbed onto it with Atemu. He wrapped his arms around Atemu and rested his head on Atemu's shoulder from behind. "Até, he is fine. You know that Yami is very capable of taking care of himself. He will be completely fine. Besides, I know that he will keep in touch. Plus, if your father will let us, we can go and see him every once in a while." Heba said.

"You know, I think that I would like that." Atemu said as he turned to look at Heba.

Heba smiled. "Don't worry, Yami. Everything will be fine. Yami isn't in any danger." Heba said, trying to assure his husband of what he knew was true.

* * *

Yami was surprised when they reached town. He saw that all of the people were working together to rebuild the town. The men were working on building the different structures. Some women were helping, and the women that weren't helping were making sandwiches and keeping the ones working hydrated.

"I don't think that I have ever seen people work together so well." Yami said.

"Well, these people all had to band together just to survive under my father's tyranny. They know that they have to work to get things back to the way they were. Besides, they want to help each other." Yugi explained.

Yami still wasn't sure why they were there.

Yugi then took off his cape and threw it into the vehicle that they had gone there in and started to walk forward.

"What are you doing?" Yami asked.

Yugi turned and smiled at him. "Well, I guess you could say that I like to help out, so I'm going to do that." Yugi answered before going to help some of the workers.

This surprised Yami more than anything. It was rare that a ruler would actually go and do manual work as far as this went.

'Father's a great ruler, but he doesn't go to this extent. He supplies everything that they need.' Yami thought.

Yami was starting to see this man in a completely different light.

Yugi walked up to a group of workers.

"Emperor, you're later than usual." Nakamura said.

Yugi smiled. "I know. I had to deal with Matsumoto and the rest of my father's supporters this morning. Plus, Prince Yami from Egypt arrived today." Yugi explained.

"Ah! I remember hearing something about him coming." Nakamura said.

"So, what do you need me to do?" Yugi asked.

"We could use some help in getting his house back up." Nakamura said.

Yugi nodded and proceeded to help the builders as they rebuilt the house.

Yami was shocked by Yugi's actions and how easily he spoke to the common people. 'Than again, Yugi fought along side them for a long time when they were rebelling that I guess they are all used to it.' Yami thought.

Deciding that he wasn't going to just around doing nothing, Yami took off his coat and threw it into the vehicle before walking over to where Yugi was. "What can I do to help?" Yami asked.

Yugi looked at him in surprise. "You don't have to do that, Yami." Yugi told him.

"I know I don't, but I want to." Yami explained.

Yugi nodded. "Nakamura." Yugi said, turning to the man.

"The more help, the better." Nakamura said.

Yami then started to help the group rebuild the house.

* * *

After working for a long time, Yami and Yugi returned to the palace.

"Do you go and help every day?" Yami asked.

"When I can. There's a lot that I have to do, so I don't get to help as much as I would like to. Some days, I can't even make it to help." Yugi said.

"Not many rulers would take the time to do the actual work like that." Yami said.

Yugi laughed. "I know. I've been told many times by Dartz and my grandfather that I am in an unconventional king in that aspect." Yugi said. He then turned serious. "I just saw on daily basis for a long time how they lived. It was horrible for the people. Three and four families in one small house with barley enough food to eat. Half the time they had to make it on one or two meals a day. The way that they were treated was inhumane. I saw their suffering. In fact, after I faked my death, I felt their suffering because I lived the way they did. I know what they went through. Just because I am emperor now doesn't change a thing. I understand what they had to live with, and I am going to do what I have to help them." Yugi said.

"Helping them the way you do must also instill their trust in you." Yami said.

"It does, but that's not my intention. I want to help get everyone back on track. That's why making peace arrangements with other kingdoms aren't my top priority right now. The people of a kingdom come before everything else." Yugi said.

"You haven't worked on ant peace agreements?" Yami asked, surprise.

"The ones that were closer to launching a war against us, yes, I have made some arrangements with them. Many of the rulers understand that I need to take care of my people first, and they don't press the issue." Yugi said.

"Most do get that." Yami agreed.

The two then arrived back at the palace.

"Well, I believe that after we both shower I should give you the tour of the palace I promised. Or would you rather do that after dinner?" Yugi asked.

"It can wait. I'm in no rush." Yami answered.

Yugi nodded before the two headed into the palace.

* * *

Yami did feel a lot better after the shower. He hadn't realized how tired he was until after the shower, either.

'I guess doing hard work like that is really tiring. I didn't realize how hard things like that really was.' Yam thought.

After a little while, a servant came and led Yami to the dining hall where Yugi, Dartz, and Solomon already were.

Yugi motioned for Yami to sit down on his right.

Yami did as he was told, and it wasn't long before there food brought out to him.

"I certainly hope that my grandson didn't wear you out too much in town." Solomon said.

Yami smiled. "No. It was something different for me. I have never worked like that before." Yami said.

"I said that you didn't have to do anything to help." Yugi said.

"I know you did, but I wanted to. It has certainly made me see the common people in a different light." Yami said.

"I honestly think that anyone of noble or royal class should have to do something like that so that they can understand what the common people do on a daily basis. I mean, that's just a small fraction of what they do. Unlike us, they don't get the chance to get away from it all." Yugi said.

"I know." Yami said.

"It does help the people to know that their ruler understands what they are dealing with." Solomon said.

"You did something kind of similar, didn't you, Grandpa?" Yugi asked.

"Yes. I always made sure that the people were taken care of. After all, if there are no people, then you are the ruler over nothing." Solomon said.

Dinner continued with quiet conversation.

After dinner, Yugi took Yami on the tour of the palace that Yugi ha promised him.

"Has the palace always been this lavish?" Yami asked.

"Yes, it has. Honestly, there are many emperors who decorated their palace so that they showed off the wealth they had. They wanted to remind people that they had more than they did. I'm afraid a lot of money went into all this." Yugi said.

"Could you not redo the palace, though?" Yami asked.

"I could, but my concern is getting the kingdom in better shape again. The palace can wait. The only areas of the palace that are reviewing any work right now are the ones that were damaged during the battle a few weeks ago." Yugi said.

Yami nodded. "That's understandable." Yami said.

Yami was taken throughout the entire palace. He was amazed at how easy it really was to remember how to get places. It was a relatively easy layout once you knew where everything was.

"If you ever do get lost, just tell someone what you are looking for, and they will help you find it." Yugi said.

Yami nodded. He looked at a set of double doors and said, "What's that?"

Yugi looked. "Oh. That's the library." Yugi answered as the two went in.

Yami was amazed at how big it was. "This is three times as big as the library in Egypt." Yami said.

"You're welcome to it at any time." Yugi said.

"Thank you." Yami said.

After the tour, Yami went back to his room while Yugi went to do some work in his study.

* * *

Yugi sat down at his desk. 'At least Yami seems to be a good person.' Yugi thought.

Yugi then took some papers out of his desk and started to go over them.

Most of what he was doing was still working on peace negotiations with many of the kingdoms that his father had caused strife with. He was also having to deal with the kingdoms that were allies of the Millennial Kingdom and making their rulers understand that he would not launch a meaningless war with another kingdom.

Yugi sighed. "Being emperor is a lot harder than people think it would be." Yugi said.

* * *

Yami had gone into his room and changed into his nightclothes. He then sat on the bed.

'Things are so different here. I'm not sure what I was expecting when Dad told me that I would be coming, but I didn't expect things like this. Yugi actually help his people in a way that I don't think his father would have even considered. He's dealing with those that would torment the common people, and he's changing the unjust laws so that the common people can have easier lives. He's also making peace negotiations with other kingdoms. He's got a lot on his plate.' Yami thought.

Yami then went to a drawer and pulled something out.

It may not have been something that was done often, but it helped Yami to write down things in a diary.

_May 4_

_I have arrived in the Millennial Kingdom and my first day here has gone rather well. Emperor Yugi is much different than one would think. I can tell that his only interest is in his people. He helps them in every way, including helping with the manual labor that comes along with the actual rebuilding of the different towns. He does a lot, from what I can tell. __The people seem to place a great deal of trust in him. I can see that. No one seems to be afraid of him, and they all interact well with him when they are working together in rebuilding the kingdom. I guess working together during the rebellion helped them to be on a better terms with him. __Yugi is certainly an odd individual. I think that he and I could be great friends at some point. I'm hoping that that is the case. He seems like a very good, kind person. I will find out in the course of my stay here._

Yami stopped writing. He looked out the window. 'I wonder how much I will learn about Yugi. I hope that I can be his friend.' Yami thought.

Yami then put his diary away before he went to bed.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: Yami gets a surprise.

R&R.


	3. Tigers

Here's the next chapter. Most think that the surprise is Atemu and Heba visiting. Sorry, but that's not it. You'll find out soon what it is.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3- Tigers

A week had passed by since Yami had gone to the Millennial Kingdom, and Yami was learning a great deal about the society and culture of the Millennial Kingdom. He had spent a great deal of time in the library to learn everything that he could.

That's where Yami was now. He was reading a book about the Millennial Kingdom. 'Hmm. Their society is a lot different than ours.' Yami thought.

Yami closed the book and stood up with it, deciding to take it and another book to his room that he would read later on. He left the library after putting the few other books up where they belong. He then walked to his room and left the books by the bed before he left the room again.

Yami had taken to walking around the palace a lot, so that's what he had decided to do.

'This place is big, but at least it's not that hard to find my way around in it. Back in Egypt, it's smaller, but harder to find your way around.' Yami thought.

Yami noticed a door with a symbol on the door that looked the symbols of fire, water, earth, wind, and lightening. 'Hmm. I wonder what's behind this door.' Yami thought. He walked to the door and opened it.

"RRROOOOAAARRRR!"

"AAAAHHHHHHH!"

* * *

Yugi had just returned to the palace from a hard day's work in the town.

Yami had gone with him the last few days, but he had opted to stay behind that day.

'I know Yami's been spending a lot of time in the library, so that's probably where he is.' Yugi thought.

Yugi had found that he enjoyed Yami's company. Yami enjoyed games like he did, and they would discuss the different things that were going on as they enjoyed a game. Yugi would also answer any questions that Yami had about the Millennial Kingdom, and their ways. Yugi didn't mind the constant questions that Yami had and answered them happily. Likewise, Yami would answer any questions that Yugi had about Egyptian society.

'I think that Yami and I are going to be good friends. We get along so well.' Yugi thought.

Yugi was heading to his room when he heard a scream.

Alarmed, Yugi ran toward the source of the scream. He looked at the door that was open, and his eyes widened in horror.

"Oh, shit! I forgot!' Yugi shouted mentally as he dashed into the room.

Yami had backed up against the wall, looking scared out of his mind.

Before him, five tigers, all of different colors, had Yami cornered at the wall. The five tigers approached him menacingly.

"Firestar! Waterstar! Earthstar! Lighteningstar! Windstar! Enough!" Yugi ordered.

The five tigers stopped and turned to look at Yugi.

"But, master-" the red tiger started.

"Don't but me! Get away from him this instant!" Yugi said firmly.

"There's no way I'm-" the yellow tiger started.

"Lighteningstar! Don't argue with me! Now go!" Yugi ordered, pointing to the other side of the room where there were five large cat-like beds.

Grumbling, the five tigers walked over to the beds ands got in them.

Yami was shaking like a leaf.

Yugi ran over to him. "Yami, I am so sorry! I completely forgot to tell you about them!" Yugi said, feeling horrible.

"Who? What? Why?" Yami couldn't even form a complete sentence as scared as he was. He hadn't taken his eyes off of the tigers, either.

"Come on." Yugi said, taking Yami by the hand.

A growl was heard, causing Yami to jump.

"Firestar! Don't make me tell you again!" Yugi snapped.

The red tiger lowered his head.

Yugi led Yami over to a couch and forced him to sit down.

"Yami, I should have told you about them. With everything that's going on, I completely forgot." Yugi said.

"Oh, I feel loved." the green tiger said.

"Shut up, Earthstar! " Yugi snapped.

Yami took a deep breath.

Yugi stood up and looked at the tigers. "Stay put!" Yugi ordered before walking into an adjoining room.

Yami eyed the tigers warily, knowing that they could rip him to shreds.

The tigers were watching Yami, wondering why Yugi had protected them.

The red tiger got up and walked toward Yami.

Yami grew tense.

The red tiger stopped in front of him. "Who are you?" the tiger asked.

Finally, it hit Yami that the tiger was talking to him. "AAAAHHHHHH!" Yami shouted, jumping up and falling off the couch.

Yugi ran in. "Firestar!" Yugi growled.

"I didn't do anything to him." the tiger said defensively.

Yami jumped up and dashed over to hide behind Yugi.

"Yami, calm down." Yugi said.

Yami gulped.

Yugi the handed him the glass of water. "Here. Drink this." Yugi said.

Yami took it and drank it. "Yugi, can I ask you a question?" Yami asked.

"Of course." Yugi said.

"I'm not delusional, am I?" Yami asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Yugi asked, confused.

"Because I thought that I heard that red tiger talk." Yami answered.

Yugi laughed lightly. "No, Yami. You're not delusional. He talked. They all can." Yugi said.

Yami glanced over at the other four, who were watching curiously.

"What is going on?" Yami asked.

"Promise that you won't scream anymore?" Yugi asked.

"I'll try." Yami replied.

"Firestar, back to your bed.' Yugi said.

"But-" Firestar stared.

"Now!" Yugi ordered.

The red tiger, known as Firestar, walked over to the empty bed and climbed in it.

Yugi walked Yami back over to the couch and had him sit down. "Again, I'm sorry. I should have told you about them. I should have warned you. And I should have told them about you." Yugi said.

Yami took a deep, calming breath. "Who are they, and why can they talk?" Yami asked.

"They're tigers from the Millennial Kingdom, Yami. They're magical tigers so that's why they can talk." Yugi said.

Yami gulped. "Are they dangerous?" Yami asked.

"Well, to some they see as an enemy, yes. As long as they know that you are not a threat to their masters, they won't hurt you." Yugi said.

"Then why did they act like they were going to kill me?" Yami asked.

"Because they had never seen you before, so they were worried that you might be the enemy." Yugi answered.

"Oh." Yami said.

Yugi then looked over at the tigers. "Come over here, guys, and no funny business." Yugi said sternly.

The five tigers got up and walked over to where Yugi and Yami were sitting. The five sat in a line, looking at Yugi patiently.

"Yami, these are the five tigers who are also known as guardians." Yugi said.

"Guardians?" Yami asked.

"Yes, guardians. Some magical creatures in the Millennial Kingdom are known as Guardians. They are supposed to protect a certain person all their lives." the yellow tiger said.

"Oh." Yami said.

Yugi shook his head. "Yami, this is Firestar." Yugi said, pointing at the red tiger. "Waterstar." The blue tiger. "Earthstar." the green tiger. "Lighteningstar." the yellow tiger. "Windstar." The white tiger.

"Why are they named for elements?" Yami asked.

"Well, there's a lot of myths surrounding the elements in our society. That's why they were named for them." Yugi answered.

Windstar rolled his eyes. "Our masters named us." Windstar said.

"Master?" Yami questioned.

"Their master is the one that they are guardians of." Yugi explained.

"Who are the ones they are guardians of?" Yami asked.

"Well, Firestar is my guardian. Waterstar is Heba's, Windstar is Ryou's, Earthstar is Joey's, and Lightening Star is Malik's." Yugi explained.

Yami blinked. "Then why didn't they go to Egypt with them?" Yami asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Lighteningstar asked.

"No. Why?" Yami asked.

"Come on. There's no way that they would want us in Egypt. Talking tigers isn't exactly something that's normal. I don't think that anyone would want us there." Earthstar said.

"Guys. Knock it off." Yugi said.

"You know, if you just talked to my father about it, he might would let them stay there. Granted, it would probably be on a trial basis, but I'm sure that he would consider it." Yami said.

"You've changed your opinions on them fast. A few moments ago, you were scared out of your wits of them." Yugi said.

"Well, as long as they don't have plans on ripping me to shreds, I think that I'll be okay with them." Yami said.

"Do you think the Pharaoh would really let us come there?" Waterstar asked.

"I'm sure he would." Yami said.

"All right!" Lighteningstar shouted happily.

"Lighteningstar, you realize that you won't be able to cause trouble, right?" Yugi asked.

"I can adjust." Lighteningstar said.

Yugi shook his head. "You and Malik are perfect for each other." Yugi said.

"So, why do all five stay in here?" Yami asked.

Earthstar growled. "That bastard Kenshin kept us locked in here all the time, and he put a magical seal on the room so that we wouldn't be able to get out." Earthstar said.

"Why did he do that?" Yami asked.

"Because he knew that they were loyal to us, and he didn't want them to help us in any way." Yugi explained.

"That makes sense, I guess." Yami said.

"Sorry that we scared you. We didn't know who you were, and we could sense that you were not a Millennial, so our first thought was to restrain you until someone came." Firestar said.

"Then, you never were going to kill me." Yami said.

"No. We don't kill unless it's in the defense of our masters." Firestar answered.

"Although Lighteningstar might be inclined to try and torment you." Yugi said.

"Sounds like Malik and Marik." Yami said.

"That's why I say that Malik and Lighteningstar are perfect for each other." Yugi said.

Yami shook his head. "This is going to take a while for me to adjust to." Yami said.

"May I ask something?" Windstar asked.

"What's that?" Yugi asked.

"Who are you exactly?" Windstar asked Yami.

"This is Yami, Prince of Egypt. Pharaoh Aknankanon sent him here to help in the rebuilding process as well as ensure a permanent peace between Egypt and the Millennial Kingdom." Yugi said.

"I thought that's why the marriages that the others were in were for." Earthstar said.

"Well, that kind of went out the window when Father made all of his attacks." Yugi said.

"True." Waterstar agreed.

"In any case, he'll be here for six months." Yugi said.

"That'll give us plenty of time to get to know him then." Lighteningstar said.

Yami gulped at the tone in which Lighteningstar had spoken.

"Lighteningstar, if you don't stop that and if you do anything to torment, you're living off of milk for a week." Yugi said.

"What?! Just milk!" Lighteningstar exclaimed, horrified.

Yugi nodded.

"That goes for all of you." Yugi added.

"You spoiled all my fun." Earthstar grumbled.

Yugi shook his head. "Knock it off." Yugi said.

Yami was still a little tense.

"Come on, Yami. Let's go." Yugi said.

Yami nodded, and the two left the room.

"I am really sorry, Yami. I should have told you about them. I've been so preoccupied lately that I haven't really given it much thought, though." Yugi said.

"It's okay. They didn't hurt me." Yami said. He gulped. "Although they acted like they wanted to rip me to shreds." Yami said.

"That's how they do. Don't take it to heart. They thought you might have been a threat. They were reacting it instinct to protect." Yugi said.

"I get that. They won't corner me like that again, right?" Yami asked.

"Unless they think that you are a threat to me, no." Yugi answered.

Yami glanced at Yugi. "I couldn't defeat you if my life depended on it." Yami said.

Yugi laughed. "I know." Yugi said.

"Is there anything you need me for?" Yami asked.

"No. I'm meeting with the king of India to work out a peace agreement." Yugi said.

"Oh. He's very reasonable. I've seen him negotiate with my father, and he has always been fair." Yami said.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a normal situation." Yugi said.

Yami laughed. "I suppose not. Good luck with that." Yami said.

"Thanks. I'd better get freshened up before he gets here." Yugi said.

Yami nodded, and Yugi walked off.

* * *

Yugi opened his door and walked down the hall.

"Yugi!"

Yugi turned to find his grandfather running to him. "Grandpa, what's wrong?" Yugi asked.

"The king of India is here. He arrived early." Solomon said.

'Where is he?" Yugi asked.

"Dartz is in the throne room with him." Solomon answered.

"Then I had better get there." Yugi said.

The two then headed down the hall.

* * *

"I am sorry that Emperor Yugi is not here. You arrived earlier than expected." Dartz said.

The King waved him off. "Don't worry about it, Lord Dartz. I understand entirely." the King said.

A few moments later, Yugi entered the throne room with Solomon right behind him.

"Excuse me lateness, Your Majesty. I was just informed of your arrival." Yugi said.

"Please, emperor Yugi. Do not fret. I arrived early. It is I who am at fault. I apologize for being so early." the King said.

"Don't worry about it. Shall we go ahead and discuss the peace agreement?" Yugi asked.

"Of course. I think that that's a fine idea." the King agreed.

Yugi led the King along with Solomon down the hall to his study.

* * *

Yami was sitting in his room, reading a book. He was rather surprised to find out about all the different festivities that they had in the Millennial Kingdom. Some were similar to the ones that were on Earth while others were much different.

Yami barely heard the door creak as it opened, so he didn't pay it any attention.

"Prince Yami."

Yami looked down to come face-to-face with Firestar.

"Ahh!" Yami exclaimed, jumping.

Firestar blinked. "What's wring now?" Firestar asked.

Yami placed a hand on his chest to still his racing heart. "I'm sorry. It's going to take a while to get used to talking tigers. For that matter, it's going to be hard to get used to tigers here period." Yami said.

"Understandable." Firestar said.

"What is it, Firestar?" Yami asked.

"I was wondering if I might al to you." Firestar said.

"I suppose so." Yami agreed.

To Yami's surprise, Firestar jumped up onto the bed and lay down beside Yami.

"What is it?" Firestar asked, noticing that Yami was looking at him oddly.

"Can this bed hold your weight? No offense, but you're kind of heavy." Yami said.

"This bed is made to hold the eight. I sleep on the bed with Master Yugi every night." Firestar said.

"You do?" Yami asked, surprised.

"Yes. Just in case an assassin tries to kill him. I can react to protect him if need be." Firestorm said.

"Hmm. I get that." Yami said.

Firestar saw the books on the bed. "Are those about out kingdom?" Firestar asked.

"Yes. I wanted to learn what I could about your world while I was here, so I've been reading the different books I find in the library as well as asking Yugi questions." Yami said.

"Well, I think that it's good that you're trying to find out about our kingdom. Most people don't bother." Firestar said.

"Well, I've always been interested in other cultures." Yami said.

"You'll fit in fine here." Firestar said. He then noticed that Yami was very tense. "You're scared of me, aren't you?" Firestar asked.

"Well, um, yeah. You could rip me apart without much effort." Yami said.

"True. I could do that if I wanted to, but I don't have the urge to. I can tell that you're not out to hurt anyone." Firestar said.

"No. I'm just here to aid in the rebuilding process and work out a permanent peace between Egypt and the Millennial Kingdom." Yami said.

Firestar saw Yami was still tense. "Prince Yami, why don't you pet me?" Firestar asked.

"Wh-why?" Yami asked, still scared of the tiger.

"I promise that I won't do anything. I won't hurt you." Firestar assured him.

Yami reached out shakily and started to pet Firestar's head.

Firestar didn't do anything. He just let Yami pet him.

Yami then started to scratch Firestar behind the ears.

Firestar started to purr loudly.

"You like that?" Yami asked.

"Hmm-mm. Most felines do." Firestar answered as he laid his head down. Right into Yami's lap.

'Hmm. Maybe they're not so dangerous after all.' Yami thought.

* * *

After several hours of negotiations, Yugi and the king of India had reached a peace agreement that was beneficial to both of them.

"I'm glad that we could reach an understanding today." Yugi said.

"As am I." the King said.

A trade agreement had been reached as well as the agreement to aid each other in times of war should it be needed.

"I am glad that you were so willing to work with me on this. The former Emperor would not even consider a peace agreement." the King said.

"I know. My father wasn't one to compromise. It was his way, or no way." Yugi said.

"I understand this. Thank you." the King said.

"Thank you." Yugi replied.

The two shook hands before the King left to return to his kingdom.

"So, that is a rather beneficial agreement that you two came to." Dartz said.

"I agree. I wasn't sure that he would be willing to negotiate so much given the history that Kenshin had of turning down any and all proposed agreements between the Millennial Kingdom and any other kingdom." Solomon said.

"The King is a fair man. He understands that I am not like my father by any means. I'm just thankful that he was so reasonable." Yugi said.

"True. Where is Prince Yami at?" Dartz asked.

"In his room, most likely. He knew I had a meeting with the king of India." Yugi said.

"That's good. Has he been happy so far?" Solomon asked.

"Well, except for one incident." Yugi said.

"What incident?" Solomon asked quickly.

"I forgot to warn him about Firestar and the others. He wandered into their room, and I found him cornered. Needless to say, I had to calm him and down explain things to him." Yugi said.

"He's not angry, is he?" Dartz asked.

"He didn't appear to be." Yugi answered.

"I hope that they don't do anything to try and scare him again." Dartz said, knowing what Lighteningstar and Earthstar could be like.

"I've already warned the tigers that they will be going with only milk to eat for a week if they pull anything." Yugi said.

"Good." Dartz said.

* * *

Yami was still in his room.

Firestar had fallen asleep on the bed beside Yami.

Yami smiled at Firestar. He found that the tiger wasn't as scary as he thought. He found that he rather liked the tiger.

Yami took out his diary and opened it and started writing.

_May 12_

_I've been here for about a week. Being here has been rather interesting. My belief that Yugi is a good ruler is only reaffirmed with how I have seen Yugi the last few days. He's a great man as far as I am concerned. I had a rather interesting surprise today. I found five tigers in a room in the palace today. I was scared to death when they cornered me and acted like they wanted to kill me. Turns out, they just felt like I was there to hurt someone in the palace and wanted to stop me. Yugi explained to me that they were not a threat, and I believe him now. It surprised me that they were able to talk. Turns out that they all belong to Yugi, Heba, Ryou, Malik, and Joey. I'll see if Father will let the ones that belong to Heba, Ryou, Joey, and Malik live in Egypt now. I've found myself liking Firestar. He's actually sleeping beside me. I think that these tigers are going to be all right._

Yami finished his diary entry and out it away.

There was a knock on the door then.

"Come in." Yami called.

The door opened, and Yugi walked in. He did a double take. "What is Firestar doing here?" Yugi asked.

"He came to talk to me. He helped me get over my fear of them. He's not that scary once I realized that he wasn't going to hurt me." Yami said.

"He's nothing but a big teddy bear." Yugi said.

There was a growl as Firestar looked up. "I am NOT a teddy bear!" Firestar said indignantly.

"You can be. You're soft with some people, Firestar." Yugi pointed out.

Firestar glared at Yugi before he jumped off of the bed and walked out the open door.

Yugi shook his head. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble for you." Yugi said.

"He wasn't any trouble at all. I promise you that, Yugi." Yami said as he got off of the bed.

"Good. I would have hated for him to have been bothering you." Yugi said.

"Nah. I liked his company to be honest." Yami said.

Yugi smiled at Yami. "That's good to hear." Yugi said.

"How did it go with the king of India?" Yami asked.

"It was fine, and you were right. He's a fair man." Yugi said.

"Glad that I was right." Yami said.

Yugi laughed. "Come on. It's close to dinnertime, so we should go." Yugi said.

The two then left the room.

* * *

Everyone was sitting at the table as they were given their dinner.

"We heard you had a run-in with Firestar and the other tigers." Dartz said.

"Yeah. To say I was surprised would be an understatement." Yami said as he was eating.

"I'm sorry again for not warning you about them. I didn't think about it." Yugi said.

"It's fine. They didn't hurt me. Just scared the hell out of me." Yami said.

Solomon laughed. "That's why they make such good bodyguards. Most people are too scared to attack in fear of them." Solomon said.

"I can understand why." Yami said.

* * *

After dinner, Yugi and Yami decided to take a walk in the gardens together.

"The gardens are beautiful at night." Yami said.

"I know. I enjoy walking out here at night because it helps me to wind down from the day." Yugi said.

"The gardens in Egypt are beautiful, too, but the plants and flowers that are here are unique. I haven't seen things like them before." Yami said.

"I know. Everything here and in Egypt will be different." Yugi said as the two sat down on a bench. Yugi looked over at Yami and said, "How are you enjoying your stay here?"

"I like it. I have always liked to learn about different cultures, so this has been interesting for me. I hope to learn all that I can before I leave." Yami said.

"At the rate, you're going, you'll be there before you know it." Yugi said.

"Thanks, Yugi. I appreciate you putting up with me." Yami said.

"No problem." Yugi said.

The two then headed inside.

"It's late, so I should go to bed." Yugi said.

"I think that I'll go with you into town tomorrow." Yami said.

"All right. I'll make sure to have someone get you." Yugi agreed.

Yami nodded.

"Good night." Yugi said.

"Good night, Yugi." Yami said.

Yugi then headed to his room.

Yami watched Yugi until the door shut. He didn't know why, bit he really enjoyed his time with Yugi. He always felt so warm and also nervous around him. 'Oh, well. It doesn't matter.' Yami thought as he went to bed.

* * *

Hope you liked it. I had thought about bringing the tigers in in the last story, but I decided to wait until this one. They are important.

Next: Yugi plans a surprise for Yami's birthday.

R&R.


	4. Birthday

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4- Birthday

~One and a Half Months Later~

Yami had been in the Millennial Kingdom for a little over a month. He was rather enjoying the time that he was spending there.

There was just one problem. He was a little homesick.

Yami lay on his bed, looking through a book. Sighing, Yami closed the book and put it aside before he lay his head down on his arms as he lay stretched out on the bed on his stomach.

"What's bothering you, Yami?" Firestar asked.

Yami looked up at the red tiger.

Firestar had taken well to Yami, and he had been spending a lot of time with him.

"I guess I just miss home." Yami replied.

"Well, everyone misses the place that they are used to being in." Firestar said.

Yami sat up and shook his head. "That's not what I mean, Firestar. I miss my parents, my brother, and everyone else." Yami said.

"Oh. You miss your family." Firestar said.

"Yeah. I just wish that I could see them again." Yami said. He glanced out the window and added, "Especially on my birthday."

"That's tomorrow, isn't it?" Firestar asked.

"Yeah. It'll be the first time I won't have any of my family there." Yami answered.

Mentally, Firestar was snickering. 'Oh, just wait, Yami. You'll find out that you won't be as lonely on your birthday as you think you will.' Firestar thought.

* * *

Yugi was talking with Solomon and Dartz.

"All of the repairs on the palace have been completed, Emperor. The palace is completely finished now." Dartz said.

"That's good to know. What about the progress of rebuilding the kingdom?" Yugi asked.

"The kingdom is about seventy-five percent repaired. It shouldn't take but about another month and a half to two months to finish the repairs." Solomon answered.

"All right. That's good. The rebuilding of the kingdom has gone better than I thought it would." Yugi said.

"Yes. We beat what we thought it would take." Dartz said.

"And you've managed to get the economy of the kingdom back on track for the most part. Once people settle into their daily routines, the economy will be boosted even more. Plus, all if the unfair laws to the people have been rectified." Solomon said.

"We've also made all of the peace treaties that we need to make. The only one we haven't done is Egypt, and the Pharaoh has said not to worry about the peace agreement between us until we have the kingdom completely back on track." Yugi said as he looked through some of the papers that were right in front of him.

"Speaking of the Pharaoh, is everything ready?" Dartz asked.

"It will be by the time they get here." Yugi answered as he looked up with a smile on his face.

"I think that this is a great thing that you're doing for him, Yugi. Prince Yami is going to be very surprised when he learns about this." Solomon said.

"And he won't learn about it until tomorrow afternoon. I just thought that I would do something nice for him. Yami and I are friends, and I wanted to do something nice for Yami's birthday." Yugi said.

"He most certainly will be surprised tomorrow." Solomon agreed.

Yugi smiled. "We have some things that we have to do before we do that." Yugi said.

"Right. We should get back to our work." Dartz said.

The three then went their separate ways to do what they needed to.

* * *

"I can't believe that we're actually going to the Millennial Kingdom tomorrow!" Joey said, rather excited.

"I know what you mean. We haven't been back there since Yugi's coronation. It'll be nice to see the place again." Malik said.

"I'll just be glad to see my brother again." Atemu said.

The group of friends was sitting in the lounge as they discussed going to the Millennial Kingdom the following day.

"I have to admit that that was a great idea that the Emperor had. I didn't think that we would be seeing Yami fro a while." Bakura said.

"Yeah. It's great of him to throw Yami a birthday party and invite us to come as well." Marik said.

"It's not exactly a big thing with Yugi. He likes to do things for people. It honestly doesn't surprise me that he learns that he decided to this." Heba said.

"I know that my mom's excited." Atemu said.

"Well, she hasn't seen Yami in almost two months. She's happy to see her son again." Ryou said.

"It'll be great to see him again. We're all looking forward to that." Bakura said.

Heba smiled. He knew that Yugi had decided to throw the party for Yami because Yami was a bit homesick, and Yugi knew that seeing his family again would help a lot. 'Yugi, you're a great man, and I'm glad that you decided to do this.' Heba thought.

* * *

Yami was out walking around the gardens. He was a little bored.

"Hey, Yami."

Yami turned and smiled when he saw Yugi approaching him. "Hi. Busy morning?" Yami asked.

"You could say that." Yugi answered.

"Well, I understand. Firestar's been keeping me company." Yami said.

"That's good to know." Yugi said as he started to walk alongside Yami. "Lighteningstar and Earthstar haven't been giving you any trouble, have they?" Yugi asked.

"They've been trying, but Firestar has been stopping them. Plus, Waterstar and Windstar have been telling Firestar what they're up to." Yami said.

Yugi laughed. "Yeah. That's just like them. Unfortunately, Lighteningstar and Earthstar are a lot like Joey and Malik in the fact that they enjoy tormenting people. It's hard to stay one step ahead of them, but I manage as much as I can, and Firestar usually catches what I don't." Yugi said.

"Doesn't that get on your nerves?" Yami asked.

"You have no idea how much it gets on my nerves. That's why I would greatly appreciate it if I could somehow get the Pharaoh to allow them to go to Egypt. They could be his headache then." Yugi said.

Yami laughed. "My father would have them killed." Yami said.

"Well, that would be his choice. Heba and Ryou can usually keep them in line with a little help from Waterstar and Windstar." Yugi said.

"Trust me when I say that my father would basically hand responsibility over to their owners, and the owners would be the ones getting chewed out when their tiger did something." Yami said.

"Well, I think that that would work, too." Yugi said.

The two then laughed.

Yugi noticed Yami's down expression. "You miss your family, don't you?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah. I didn't think that it would this hard." Yami said.

"Well, it's your first time away from your family. It's always harder that way." Yugi said.

"Yeah. I guess so." Yami agreed.

'Well, come tomorrow, you won't have to deal with that.' Yugi thought.

"So, what do you have to do this afternoon?" Yami asked.

"There's just a few little things that I'll have to do. Nothing real big." Yugi replied.

"Really?" Yami asked.

Yugi nodded. "The kingdom is seventy-five percent repaired, so I won't have to help quite as much as I have been. Plus, I have made the peace arrangements with almost every kingdom that my father caused problems with." Yugi said.

"What kingdoms are left?" Yami asked.

"Egypt is the only ones left." Yugi answered.

"You won't have much trouble then." Yami said.

Yugi nodded his agreement.

* * *

After Yugi finished the few things he had to do, which had to do with Yami's birthday party the next day, Yugi decided to spend time with Yami so that Yami wouldn't think about his homesickness quite so much.

The two were currently playing a game of chess.

The two were very focused on the game and carefully planned out each move that they made.

Yugi made a move and then Yami would make a move to counter it.

The game went on like this pretty much the entire time.

Yugi made a move and said, "Checkmate."

"You win every time." Yami said, exasperated.

"No, I don't. You have won some." Yugi said.

"Not as much as you have." Yami replied.

Yugi laughed. "You don't take to losing too well." Yugi said.

"It's not that. It's just that Atemu's been one of the few people that have actually managed to beat me." Yami said.

"Well, you have someone else that can beat you then." Yugi said.

"I guess so." Yami agreed.

The two continued to play some games for a while, enjoying a little down time.

After they played, the two then left the game room.

"I hope that you didn't brush anything off today, Yugi. You don't have to do that on account of me." Yami said.

"Yami, everyone needs some time to relax, and that includes the king. I haven't really taken a day to myself since I became Emperor, so I figured that it was about time that I take day to rest and relax." Yugi said.

Yami glanced at him. "Yugi, you only took half a day to yourself." Yami said.

"Okay. So I took half a day. At least I am taking a little time to relax." Yugi said.

Yami nodded his agreement.

* * *

The following day, Yugi had gotten up earlier than normal so that eh could greet the visiting Egyptians as well as make sure that they remained hidden until it was time for Yami to see them.

Yugi met them when they arrived.

"Emperor, it's good to see you again." Aknankanon said.

Aknankanon, Amara, Aknaudin, Atemu, Heba, Seto, Joey, Marik, Malik, Bakura, and Ryou were the ones that had come to the Millennial Kingdom.

"It's good to see you, too. I'm glad that you were able to come here." Yugi said.

"We wouldn't miss it for anything." Amara said, who had been ecstatic when Yugi had made the suggestion of them coming to the Millennial Kingdom for Yami's birthday.

"Is everything ready?" Heba asked his brother.

"Yes, everything is ready. All we have to do now is make sure that he doesn't see you until time for the party." Yugi said.

"Will that be hard?" Atemu asked.

"I don't think it will be. Come with me." Yugi said.

Yugi then led the group to the room that the party would be held in, which was lightly decorated for the occasion.

"This looks great!" Amara said, clapping her hands together.

"I'm glad you like it. The servants will be getting the food and the cake in here before long." Yugi said.

Solomon and Dartz then walked into the room.

"Ah. I see that you made it safely." Dartz said.

"Yes, we did, Lord Dartz." Aknankanon said.

"I know that Prince Yami will be very surprised when he sees all of you. I noticed that he seemed to be a bit homesick recently." Solomon said.

"I don't think that he'll have that much of a problem once he sees us." Seto said.

"No kidding." Marik agreed.

Heba then pulled Yugi aside. "Yugi, this is a great thing that you're doing for Yami." Heba told him.

"Heba, it's nothing. Since Yami came here, he and I have become good friends. I knew that he was homesick, and I also knew that he didn't like the fact that he was going to be away from his family on his birthday, so I thought that it might help if he had them here at least. Besides, I wanted to do something for him. He's been a big help to me." Yugi said.

Heba smiled. "I'm glad that you're doing this for him and giving his family the chance to be with him on his birthday. And I'm glad that I get to see you for a little while." Heba said.

Yugi nodded. "I'm glad to see you, too, Heba." Yugi said.

The two brothers then hugged each other.

Atemu watched this and smiled. He knew that Heba missed having his brother around, and he was glad that his husband was getting the chance to see his brother again.

* * *

Yami woke up the next morning. He sat up and stretched slightly. He glanced out the window before he climbed out of the bed.

'It's my birthday, and I am going to be alone.' Yami thought.

Sighing dejectedly, Yami went to get a shower and after that, he got dressed.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Yami said.

The door opened, and Yugi walked in.

"Morning, Yami." Yugi said.

"Morning." Yami replied.

"I thought that I would come and see if you wanted breakfast." Yugi said.

"Sure thing." Yami said.

The two then left the room and headed down the hall.

"By the way, Yami, happy birthday." Yugi said.

Yami smiled. "Thanks, Yugi." Yami said.

The two then went to eat breakfast.

* * *

Yugi kept Yami busy the entire morning as everything else was set up for the party that Yugi had planned out for Yami.

"So, is there anything special that you're doing today?" Yami asked.

"No, not really." Yugi replied.

"Oh. I thought that you might have some things to do today since you took so much time off yesterday." Yami said.

"No. I'm good for the day." Yugi said.

Yami smiled. He was glad that he wouldn't have to spend the entire day alone.

Yugi glanced over at Yami. 'Don't worry about a thing, Yami. You won't have to wait much longer before you have your birthday surprise.' Yugi thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Egyptians were talking.

"I can't believe that we have to wait this long." Bakura grumbled form where he sat with his head in his hand.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Kura, take it easy. It won't be that much longer." Ryou said.

"Besides, the Emperor was very kind to do all of this. I think that it's a wonderful thing that he's doing for Yami." Amara said.

"Indeed. It is." Aknankanon agreed as he put an arm around his wife.

"Besides, we all wanted to be with Yami to celebrate his birthday, and this is the best way. Besides, we agreed with him to have the party at lunchtime so that we could all eat together. He wants us being here to be a surprise." Aknaudin agreed.

"I think that we're going to be the best birthday gift that Yami gets today." Atemu said.

"I agree with Bakura. This wait is the worst." Marik agreed.

Malik shook his head. "It's not like you're going to be waiting the rest of your lives." Malik said.

"It feels like it." Bakura muttered.

"Oh, take it easy. We only have another half hour before they come here anyway." Seto said.

"Finally!" Bakura said, getting up.

Aknankanon shook his head. "At least show a bit of curtsey to the Emperor while we are here. This is something that he didn't have to do for Yami or us." Aknankanon said.

* * *

Yugi glanced at his watch and saw that it was time for him to get Yami to go to the room for the party and his surprise.

"Hey, Yami." Yugi said.

"Yeah." Yami said as he turned to look at Yugi.

"Come on. I have a birthday present that I want to give you." Yugi said.

"Yugi, you didn't have to get me anything for my birthday." Yami protested.

"I know, but I wanted to. Now, come on." Yugi said as he grabbed Yami by the arm and practically dragged him back into the palace.

"Okay, Yugi! I'm coming!" Yami said. He managed to work his wrist free of Yugi's grip and followed Yugi as he walked down the hall.

Yugi was smiling. 'He is going to be so surprised.' Yugi thought.

'I wonder what Yugi's giving me. I didn't even think that he would give me anything. I wish that he hadn't.' Yami thought.

The two then arrived at the door.

"Go on in, Yami. What I got you is inside." Yugi said.

"Okay." Yami said. He walked forward and opened the door. He got quite a surprise when he looked in.

"Surprise! Happy birthday, Yami!" everyone inside shouted.

Yami was in shock, but he quickly got over it. "What are all of you doing here?" Yami asked as he went over to the group.

Amara immediately hugged her son. "You should thank the Emperor. He's the one that made all this possible." Amara said

Yami then looked at Yugi. "You did this?" Yami asked.

Yugi nodded. "I knew that you missed your family, so I invited them here so that you could spend your birthday with them." Yugi said.

"Thank you. That means a lot." Yami said.

The group then started talking with Yami/

Heba, Joey, Ryou, Malik, and Yugi all stood to the side to let them talk.

"Yugi, I think that you just made Yami's birthday great." Heba said.

"That's what I was aiming for." Yugi said.

After a while, the group sat down to eat.

"You really didn't suspect anything, did you?" Atemu asked.

"No. I didn't even know you guys were here. When did you get here?" Yami asked.

"This morning." Aknankanon said.

"We had agreed to have the party this afternoon, so I had to make sure that you didn't find them here until now." Yugi said.

Yami smiled. "Well, I have to say that I didn't expect this when you told me that you had gotten me something for my birthday." Yami said.

After eating lunch and the cake, the group started to sit around talking again.

"So, had anything interesting happened while you've been here, Yami?" Bakura asked.

"One thing certainly stands out." Yami said.

"What's that?" Aknaudin asked.

Before Yami could answer, several roars were heard.

Turning, the group saw that Waterstar, Lighteningstar, Earthstar, and Windstar were in the room.

The four tigers then jumped forward and pounced onto Heba, Malik, Joey, and Ryou respectively.

There were several horrified screams.

The four tigers looked down at the ones they had pinned before they leaned down and started to lick them in the face.

Heba started to giggle. "Okay, Waterstar. I get the point. You're happy to see me." Heba said.

"Get off of my, you big lug." Malik said, pushing the tiger off.

"Man! It's great to see you." Joey said as he rubbed Earthstar's head.

"It's great to see you, too, boy." Ryou said as Windstar started to rub in his face.

The four tigers got off of their respective owners.

Yugi laughed. "I had a feeling that they would be happy to see you." Yugi said.

The four tigers were rubbing up against their owners.

"What the hell are tigers doing here?!" Bakura shouted, starring at them wide-eyed.

Lighteningstar looked at Bakura and said, "That's your husband, Ryou?"

"You can talk!" Amara shouted.

"They all can. Maybe I should explain." Yugi said.

"They belong to us. Have since we were kids." Heba said.

"How can they talk?" Atemu asked.

"They're magical tigers." Yugi answered.

Yami laughed at the expressions on the faces of his family members. "I had that same reaction when I first met them." Yami said.

"When did you first meet them?" Marik asked.

"About a month ago. I was wondering around the palace and came across them. I was scared because they acted like they were killing to me." Yami said.

"Hey! We didn't know who you were. For all we knew, you were there to hurt us!" Earthstar said defensively.

"I know, and I'm not mad." Yami said.

"So, they're not dangerous?" Aknaudin asked to make sure.

"No. The only way they are threat to you is if you intend to bring harm t their masters. Then they attack." Yugi said.

"Who are their masters?" Aknankanon asked.

"The ones they pounced on." Yugi answered.

Heba shrugged "We're used to them." Heba said.

"Why haven't you mentioned them before?" Marik asked.

"Didn't think about it, honestly." Malik said as the four stood up.

"So, they're not dangerous to us, right?" Atemu asked.

Waterstar walked over to Atemu and rubbed up against him. "No. In fact, given that you're married to my master, that automatically makes you my master as well." Waterstar said.

"Damn it! That means he's my master, too!" Lighteningstar said.

Yugi shook his head. "You are such a drama queen." Yugi said.

"I am not!" Lighteningstar snapped.

"Yes, you are." Yugi said.

After some time, the Egyptians got used to the tigers.

"Hmm. Since they're your tigers, do you guys want to bring them to the palace in Egypt?" Amara asked.

"Can we?" Joey asked, excited at the prospect.

"What do you think?" Amara asked, turning to look at her husband.

"Not a bad idea really." Aknankanon agreed. He then turned serious. "You are all responsible for their actions, though." Aknankanon said.

"No problem." Heba said.

The four tigers looked rather happy at the thought of being reunited with their masters permanently.

"Well, I guess we've got some new residents at the palace." Atemu said.

Aknankanon rubbed his head. "I'm going to have a field day explaining this to the priests." Aknankanon said.

The group stayed a while longer. Nice night fell, the Egyptians knew that it was time for them to leave.

"Well, it's been fun, but bye." Bakura said, going through the portal.

Ryou shook his head. "He's so irritating." Ryou said before going as well as Windstar right behind him.

"See ya, Yami. Happy birthday." Marik said before going through the portal with Malik and Lighteningstar behind him.

"Well, we'll see you later." Seto said.

"Bye." Joey added.

The two walked through the portal along with Earthstar.

"Bye, Yami. Happy birthday." Amara said as she hugged her son.

"Bye, Mom." Yami replied.

"Take care." Aknankanon added.

The two then left with Aknaudin.

"Happy birthday, Yami. Glad that we got to see you again." Atemu said.

"Bye, Atemu." Yami said.

Atemu and Heba then left with Waterstar before the portal closed.

"Happy?" Yugi asked.

"Very." Yami replied as they headed toward their rooms. "Thanks, Yugi. This means a lot." Yami said.

"No problem." Yugi said.

At Yami's room, Yami turned to him. "You really didn't have to do it, but I'm glad that you did." Yami said.

"Anytime." Yugi said.

"Well, I'll see you in the morning, Yugi." Yami said.

"All right, Yami. Good night." Yugi said before he walked off and went to his own room.

Yami smiled before going into his room. He went to his bed and got out his diary.

_May 13_

_Today ended up being a better day than I thought it would be. Yugi invited my family here so that they could be here on my birthday. I think he knew that I was a little homesick and wanted to do something to help ease my homesickness. He really is a great friend to me. I'm glad that they all came, and I was able to see them again. I have no doubt that I'll see them again before my stay in the Millennial Kingdom is over._

Yami then closed his diary and out it away before he went to bed.

* * *

Hope you liked it. I thought that Yami deserved to have his fmaily around on his birthday.

Next: Things heat up between Yugi and Yami.

R&R.


	5. Feelings

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5- Feelings

Yugi was walking down the hall alone, looking through some papers. 'Hmm. I'm glad to see that the kingdom is being rebuilt ahead of schedule. That means that we should be back on track before long. At least I was able to fix a lot of the damage that my father caused.' Yugi thought.

Yugi walked into his study and sat down to do some work.

As Yugi worked, his thoughts started to shift to Yami.

Yami had been there for almost two and a half months now, and Yugi would openly admit that Yami had become one of the best friends that he had ever had. In fact, the only people that were closer to Yugi than Yami were Heba and Yugi's grandfather.

However, there was one thing that Yugi was not willing to admit to anyone, not even himself.

Yugi was in love with Yami.

Yugi didn't know when it happened, but he had fallen for the crimson-eyed Egyptian. He always felt very at ease with Yami, and it was easier to talk to Yami than anyone else that he knew. Yugi always felt happy with Yami, and he enjoyed Yami's company immensely.

At first, Yugi thought that these feelings were just that of friendship since he had had these feelings for others, although Yugi would admit that these feelings were a lot stronger than the ones he had for his others friends. Yugi always had this warm feeling when he was around Yami.

Yugi couldn't deny that he was in love with Yami when he started having dreams about him and Yami together. Very intimae dreams.

Yugi blushed as he thought about the dream had had the night before.

_Flashback~_

_Yugi and Yami were lying on Yugi's bed together. Yami was on top of Yugi's smaller body and both were naked as the day they were born._

_Yami kissed Yugi again as he stretched Yugi for what was coming._

_Yugi moaned into the kiss, loving the feel of what Yami was doing to him._

_Yami leaned down so that his lips were right by Yugi's head and whispered, "Are you ready?"_

_Yugi shivered as the warm breath ghosted over his neck. He nodded._

"_Well, get ready then." Yami said before thrusting all the way into Yugi._

~End Flashback~

Yugi shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his head. 'I have to stop this before the same things happens now.' Yugi thought.

Yugi had woken up with a hard-on. He had had to get up and take an ice cold shower to calm himself down.

'Why did it have to be Yami that I fall for? He won't be here forever. He's going to be leaving to go him in another few months, so there's not reason to take our relationship beyond friendship.' Yugi thought.

Yugi was continuously trying to convince himself that he and Yami were better off just staying friends, but he just wasn't able to completely convince himself of that fact.

* * *

Yami was sitting on his bed after taking a shower.

'I can't believe that happened.' Yami thought, rather irritated with himself and the control of his body, or lack thereof.

Yami had woken up that morning after a rather intense dream starring himself and a certain Emperor.

Yami had been rather upset to find that he had come in sleep while he was having a sex dream about Yugi.

Yami had known that he had fallen for Yugi since the day after his birthday party, which had been three weeks before. He had realized that he had fallen in love with Yugi, and there was no way that he could deny it.

'I can't believe that that happened last night. If Atemu, Seto, Bakura, or Marik ever found out about that, they would never let me live it down.' Yami thought sourly.

Yami's thoughts then turned to the object of his dreams.

Yami had known that he was in love with Yugi. He found that he enjoyed the time that he spent alone with the Emperor. Yugi was a fun person to be around. Yami always felt at ease with Yugi around. He enjoyed being with him.

'I didn't think that I would fall for Yugi when I came here, but I did. He's such a beautiful person as well as kind and sweet. He's so companionate, and he loves his people so much. I wish that I could tell him, but Yugi and I are just friends. To tell him what I feel for him would be like ruining this friendship that we have formed. I don't want to lose that.' Yami thought.

Yami let out a sigh as he flopped back on the clean bed sheets. He had changed his bed and cleaned away the evidence of his dream the night before. He didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about what had happened that night.

'Why did it have to be Yugi? Why couldn't it have been anyone else? Why not someone that was more within my reach? Why not someone from Egypt? Yugi is the Emperor here, and I have a duty to Egypt. It can't work between us.' Yami thought.

As much as Yami would have liked to have been able to start a relationship with Yugi, he knew that that was a bad idea. He just hoped that nothing happened that would have him wanting to take that risk.

* * *

"A ball?" Yami asked.

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. My grandfather and Dartz suggested it. Since things are going so well in the kingdom, they suggested that I hold a ball which any person in my kingdom is welcome to come to." Yugi said.

"Meaning that their social class makes no difference in a case like this." Yami said.

"Exactly. It's a celebration of the fact that we are getting ourselves back on track. I mean, needless to say, out kingdom was a wreck when I took command. It's just a celebration of all the hard work that everyone has put into getting the kingdom back on its feet." Yugi said.

"I think that that's a great idea, Yugi. I mean, you have all worked hard to get to the point that you're at. It's a great idea." Yami said.

"I know. It'll be held in a few weeks." Yugi said.

"I'm sure that you'll all have fun." Yami said.

Yugi chuckled as he looked across the chess table. "Yami, you're invited, too." Yugi said.

"I am?" Yami asked in surprise, having not expected to be invited.

"Yes, you are. You're a guest here, and you have helped us out a lot as far as getting the kingdom back on track goes, and I think that you deserve to be there as well." Yugi said.

"Well, okay." Yami said.

"Glad to hear that." Yugi said.

A servant then came into the room. "Emperor Yugi." he said.

"Yes." Yugi answered, turning to look at him.

"Lord Dartz wishes to speak to you in the throne room." the servant said.

"All right." Yugi said.

The servant then left the room.

"Sorry, Yami, but it looks like duty calls." Yugi said, standing up.

"I understand." Yami replied.

Yugi started to leave.

"Before you go, Yugi." Yami said.

Yugi turned back to face his friend.

Yami moved a chess piece on the board and said, "Checkmate."

Yugi laughed. "Well, I guess you won this one, Yami." Yugi said.

Yami smiled back at him.

"I'd better go. I'll catch up with you later, Yami." Yugi said before he turned and left the room to go to the throne room.

Yami watched Yugi go before he stood up. 'Well, I guess I'll see what balls here are like.' Yami thought.

It was then that it hit him.

'A ball?! Oh, shit! There's no way that I'll be able to hide my feelings for Yugi there!' Yami thought frantically.

Yami knew that he would be tempted to want to dance with Yugi, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to resist the urge. 'I am royally screwed this time around.' Yami thought, wondering how he would manage to stop himself from telling Yugi how he felt about him.

* * *

Yugi walked into the throne room to find that Dartz was standing there with Nakamuri.

"Nakamuri, what are you doing you here?" Yugi asked.

"Emperor, I wanted to come and tell you the good myself." Nakamuri said.

"What news?" Yugi asked as he stood in front of the two men.

Nakamuri grinned and said, "If all goes well, we should have the kingdom completely rebuilt by the end of this week, the start of next week at the latest."

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked, surprised.

Nakamuri nodded. "We have all been working hard because we wanted to get everything as soon as possible, and we have managed it." Nakamuri said.

Yugi smiled brightly. "That is great! If we manage that, then the kingdom will have been rebuilt far sooner than anyone expected." Yugi said.

"I knew that it was good news, and I wanted to be able to tell you myself." Nakamuri said.

"That is excellent news, Nakamuri." Yugi said.

Nakamuri then left, saying that he needed to go back so that he could help with the remaining of the rebuilding process.

"This is far better than I thought. I didn't think that we would get everything done so quickly." Yugi said.

"Neither did I, but it's great that we have managed to do it. We are getting the kingdom back on track, and that is what matters the most." Dartz said.

"Yes, it is." Yugi agreed.

Yugi was very happy that everything was getting done so quickly. It meant that his people would be able to live easier once everything was done.

* * *

Yami had gone back to his room and was currently pacing the room.

'Okay. I can do this. No problem. All I have to do is stay as far away from Yugi as possible at the ball, and I'll be fine.' Yami thought.

Yami stopped pacing and groaned out in frustration.

'Who am I kidding? I won't be able to stay away from him. I love Yugi too much. I'll want to spend as much time with him as I possibly can.' Yami thought.

Then, another thought struck Yami.

'Oh-no. What I am going to do if there are other people that come onto Yugi? I am going to be so jealous, and I don't know if I am going to be able to keep my jealousy in check.' Yami thought.

"What's bugging you?" Firestar asked.

Yami jumped slightly and landed right on the bed. He turned and looked right at Firestar. "Don't do that!" Yami snapped.

Firestar blinked. "Don't do what?" Firestar asked.

"Don't sneak up on me like that." Yami said.

"Sorry. You just looked like something was bugging you." Firestar said.

"It's nothing. I'll deal with it myself." Yami said getting back up and starting to pave again.

Firestar jumped up on the bed and lay down to watch Yami. "How is pacing helping you with your problem?" Firestar asked.

Yami sighed. "It's not, really." Yami replied.

"Then why are you doing it?" Firestar asked.

"I don't know." Yami answered.

Firestar watched as Yami paced. "Why don't you tell me what's gotten to you?" Firestar said, wanting to help him.

"I don't want to talk about it, Firestar, so leave it at that." Yami said.

Firestar sighed. "Fine, but I did try to help." Firestar said. He jumped off the bed and left the room.

'I can't tell Yugi how I feel. It will never work out between us. Besides, I don't even know if he feels the same way about me, and I don't want to risk him being disgusted with the fact that I am in love with him. I don't want to lose my friendship with him.' Yami thought.

* * *

Yugi walked into the game room where he had left Yami only to find it empty. 'Hmm. I wonder where Yami is.' Yugi thought.

Yugi left the room and headed down to Yami's room. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Yami called.

Yugi opened the door and walked in. "Hi, Yami." Yugi said, walking into the room.

"Hey. What was the meeting about?" Yami asked.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a meeting. Nakamuri came to the palace and told me that if all goes well, the kingdom should be completely rebuilt by the end of this week or the start of next week." Yugi answered.

"Tat's good. You didn't think that the kingdom would be completely rebuilt this quickly." Yami said as he set his book aside.

"I know. It's a great thing, especially for the kingdom." Yugi said.

"Yes. It is." Yami agreed.

"I could tell that Nakamuri was happy about this, too. I'm glad that everyone is working so hard to get everything back on track." Yugi said.

"I know you are." Yami replied.

* * *

A few weeks later, Yugi was overseeing the preparations for the ball.

"I think that everything is looking great." Solomon said.

"I know it is, Grandpa. I just want to make sure everything is perfect for the ball. This is a great celebration for us." Yugi said.

"Indeed." Solomon agreed.

Yami walked into the room then.

"Ah, there you are, Yami." Solomon said.

"Hi." Yami said He looked around and said, "This place is looking great."

"Thanks. I just want everything to be right for the ball." Yugi said.

"Everything will be fine." Yami said.

"I have tried to assure him of that, but he won't he listen." Solomon said.

"Come on. I think that you need to think about something other than this ball." Solomon said, grabbing Yugi by the arm and dragging Yugi out of the room.

"Yami, stop." Yugi said.

"Nope. You need to concentrate on something else. The ball will be perfect. You just need to relax." Yami said as he entered the gardens with Yugi.

Yugi sighed. "All right. I guess being out here will do me some good." Yugi agreed.

Yami then realized what he had done. 'Shit! I'm out here alone with Yugi. I just really tempted myself.' Yami thought as he glanced over at Yugi.

The two were walking down the pathway in the garden. When they arrived at the pond, they say down and looked out at all the plants and flowers in the garden.

"I love it out here. The garden is so peaceful and quiet that all you want to do is relax." Yugi said.

"I know what you mean. I think that it's the most tranquil place in any palace for the most part." Yami said.

"Especially at night." Yugi said.

"You come out here at night?" Yami asked as he looked over at Yugi.

"Yeah." Yugi said. He lay down on his back in the grass and crossed his fingers behind his head as he gazed up into the sky. "There are times that I have a bit of insomnia. It doesn't happen to often, but in the nights that it does, I usually take a walk in the gardens. It helps me to relax." Yugi said.

"I can see how it would help." Yami agreed. He looked over at Yugi and saw how beautiful Yugi looked laying there in the grass. 'I wish that I could tell him, but that would be a mistake.' Yami thought.

* * *

~The Ball~

'I can't believe that I am actually going to this ball.' Yami thought.

Yami was dressed in a pair of black pants and a crimson shirt. He was also wearing the crown that signified himself as the Prince of Egypt.

Yami let out a sigh. 'I hope that I can control myself tonight.' Yami thought.

Yami then walked over to the door and walked out. He met Yugi on the way out.

"Hi, Yami. Are you ready for the ball?" Yugi asked.

Yami smiled. "Yes. I'm ready." Yami answered.

The two then walked down the hall and headed for the ballroom.

Yami slipped on in and mixed in with the crowd since Yugi had to enter alone. He soon found Dartz.

"Ah! Prince Yami. Is the Emperor ready?" Dartz asked.

"Yes. He's outside. He should be in soon." Yami answered.

As if on cue, the doors to the throne room were opened, and Yugi walked in.

Everyone in the room stopped and turned their attention to the Emperor of the Millennial Kingdom.

Yugi walked up to where the throne had been set up, and he turned to face everyone.

"I want to thank you all for coming to this celebration. We are celebrating the completion of the rebuilding of our kingdom!" Yugi said.

Everyone in the room started clapping and cheering.

"To celebrate, I want everyone here to enjoy themselves as we celebrate our kingdom." Yugi said.

Everyone clapped again at what he said.

"Let the festivities begin!" Yugi said.

Everyone began to dance, mingle, and eat in celebration of what was going on.

Yugi made his way down from the throne.

Dartz walked over to him. "I must say that this is a great celebration, Emperor. I think that everyone here will enjoy it." Dartz said.

"Thank you, Dartz. I agree. I just wanted to show them that I am as happy as they are at the fact that we have our kingdom back to the way it was before." Yugi said.

"Indeed." Dartz agreed.

Yami was standing a bit back. He caught sight of Yugi talking to some people. 'Okay. I need to try and keep my distance as much as humanly possible. I don't want to seem like I'm avoiding him, but I don't want to be too close to him since I might tell him how I feel.' Yami thought.

"Hi, Prince Yami."

Yami turned to face Rafael. "Hi, Rafael." Yami answered.

"I hope that you have been enjoying your stay here in the kingdom." Rafael said.

"I have. It's been a new experience for me." Yami answered.

"I've noticed that you and the Emperor seen to be spending a lot of time together. I know that you two are good friends." Rafael said.

"Yes, we are. I am fortunate to have gained his friendship." Yami said.

"Most people feel the same way. He's a one of a kind person. To do all that he done for so many people when so little is done for him in return." Rafael said.

"He's the type that doesn't want anything in return." Yami said.

"Yes, he is. I don't know who he will end up marrying in the end, but that person will be truly lucky. He would love that person unconditionally and only that person." Rafael said.

"Yes. That person will be lucky." Yami agreed, feeling his heart rip apart at the thought of Yugi being with someone other than him.

Yami then walked on through the crowd.

Not many people spoke to him since they were all discussing the fact that they were getting their kingdom back in order.

"Hi, Yami."

Yami turned only to come face-to-face with the one person that he had been trying to stay away from.

Yugi.

Yami smiled and said, "Hi, Yugi."

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Yugi asked.

"Yes, I am." Yami said.

"That's good. I would hope that you do enjoy yourself." Yugi said.

"I am. I suppose it's a bit harder for me because I am not from this kingdom, and I don't know that many people outside the palace." Yami said.

Yugi smiled at him. "Don't worry about anything, Yami. I'm certain that people will warm up to you." Yugi said.

Yami wasn't so sure, but he smiled and voiced his agreement anyway.

After some time, Yugi had talked to just about everyone at the ball that he could manage.

'This is tiring.' Yugi thought. He had heard way too many praises to himself when he didn't deserve them. 'I suppose there will always be people who will try and get on my good side, thinking that I will reward them somehow.' Yugi thought.

After having enough of those trying to kiss Yugi's ass, he decided that he needed a breath of fresh air. He started toward the exit.

"Where are you going, Yugi?" Solomon asked when eh saw his grandson starting to leave.

"I'll be right back, Grandpa. I just need to step outside for a moment for a bit of air." Yugi said.

Solomon understood that need and nodded his head in understanding.

Yugi then walked out to where the gardens were. He found that he was pretty much alone at the moment.

"Yugi?"

Yugi turned to face Yami. "Yami, what are you doing out here?" Yugi asked.

"Well, I don't exactly like balls, and I needed to step out here to get away from everything for a few moments." Yami answered.

"Hmm. I know the feeling, Yami. I had to leave for a moment myself." Yugi said.

Yami looked at Yugi and saw that he looked exquisite in the moonlight. 'Stop that! Those kinds of thoughts are not going to help me in this situation.' Yami thought.

"Yami, why don't we take a walk?" Yugi suggested.

"Okay." Yami agreed, figuring that a walk couldn't hurt anything.

The two started to walk down the path.

"Everything okay?" Yami asked.

"Yeah. These balls are just kind of tiring." Yugi answered.

"I know what you mean. One of the reasons I don't particularly like them is because there are too many people that try to kiss your ass." Yami said.

"I've had to deal with that tonight as well. I hate that. Usually, I just ignore them and remind myself to steer clear of those people as much as I possibly can." Yugi said.

"Not always easy, though." Yami said.

"No, its not." Yugi agreed.

The two were perfectly content just being alone together in such a peaceful place.

"The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it, Yami?" Yugi asked, looking up at named object in the sky, shining brightly.

"Yeah. It is." Yami said. 'Not nearly as beautiful as you, though.' Yami added to himself.

The two then sat down on the bench. No one would be able to see them unless they walked down the path.

"You know, nights like this always seem to be romantic. At least, that's how they portray it in the movies that I have seen." Yugi said.

"In my opinion, I think that anything can be romantic when it's between two people that love each other. Romance doesn't have set boundaries." Yami said.

"I couldn't agree more." Yugi replied.

Yami turned to look at Yugi. "Do you consider any certain thing romantic?" Yami asked.

"No. I think that as long as it comes from the heart and that person truly loves you, then anything can be romantic. Something as simple as a walk anywhere, even through town, can be romantic." Yugi said.

Yami smiled. "I guess you're right." Yami agreed.

Yami and Yugi turned to look at each other.

Unconsciously, both leaned forward and their lips met.

The kiss was gentle and loving.

A moment later, two pulled apart.

The truth of what they had done hit then.

Yami jumped up. "I am so sorry, Yugi! I shouldn't have done that!" Yami said.

"No! I'm sorry! It was my fault!" Yugi said.

The two then looked at each other, both wearing the same expression.

'He loves me.' both thought at the same time.

"Yami, I-" Yugi started.

"Yugi, I'm not sure what to say." Yami said.

"Neither am I." Yugi agreed as Yami sat back down beside Yugi.

"We can't get into a relationship. We live in two different kingdoms." Yami said.

"I know what you mean. It's not like we could have a long distance relationship. They never work." Yugi agreed.

Yami then looked back at Yugi. "It would be a mistake to even start something now." Yami said.

Yugi turned to look at him, "A big mistake." Yugi agreed.

The two started to lean in close to each other.

"I don't know how we could possibly make this work." Yami said.

"I know." Yugi said.

The two then leaned in close enough to kiss.

Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi's waist as Yugi wrapped his arms around Yami's neck.

Yami ran his tongue over Yugi's bottom lip, and Yugi opened his mouth. Yami slipped his tongue into Yugi's mouth and started to roam around.

Both moans at the sensations that the kiss was causing.

The two soon broke apart and looked in each other's eyes.

"We're going to regret this, aren't we?" Yami asked.

"We might, but right now, I'd like to enjoy the time that we do have together." Yugi said.

"So would I." Yami agreed before the two kissed again.

They then returned to the ball, not letting anyone know what had happened or what they had decided.

* * *

Yami then returned to his room. He walked over to his bed and immediately took out his diary.

_June 10_

_I went to the ball tonight, and I knew what would end up happening. Yugi and I were alone, and the truth came out. Yugi knows how I feel about him, but oddly enough, Yugi feels the same way. We both know that this won't work out, but I can't bring myself to care. I want to spend the time that I can with Yugi. I may never find someone else, and I want to know what it's like to be in a relationship with someone that you love and that loves you._

Yami closed the diary and put it away. 'I don't know how this will turn out, but I have to hope for the best. I don't want to pass up this chance.' Yami thought.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: More between Yugi and Yami.

R&R.


	6. Together

Here's the next chapter.

There's a lemon between Yugi and Yami in this chapter, so if you don't like lemons, skip the writing between the bold. I warned you!

* * *

Chapter 6- Together

Yugi and Yami had been together for about a week, but they had not told anyone about the fact that they were together. Both thought that it would be better that way since they weren't sure where this relationship would be going.

Yugi was walking through the gardens alone early in the morning. No one else was up yet, and Yugi needed the time to think.

'I don't know what I'm thinking. I mean, I know that I love Yami, but I also know that Yami isn't going to be here for long. I'm not sure if this is the best course of action for me.' Yugi thought.

When Yugi had those thoughts, he would think about how happy he was when he was with Yami, and he knew that Yami was happy with him. He could tell it.

'Why does this have to be so hard? Why did it have to be Yami that I fell for? I wouldn't trade the way I feel for him for anything, but I don't know if the pain in the end would be worth it.' Yugi thought.

Deep down, Yugi knew that he would regret not being with Yami if he didn't take the chance now.

Yugi let out a sigh. 'I can't help how I feel, and I am deeply in love with Yami. I can't help it. I want to be with him while I can, regardless of the fact that it won't last.' Yugi thought.

Yugi sat down on the bench and looked up into the sky. He wasn't sure how he would feel when things ended.

'No. I can't think about that now. I have to think about the goods things that can happen right now.' Yugi thought.

Yugi then smiled as he thought about how much fun he had had with Yami so far.

~Flashback~

_Yugi and Yami were playing a game of chess like they did a lot._

"_You are a tough opponent, Yugi, but I'm not going to let you win this one, Yugi." Yami said._

_Yugi let out a laugh as he made a move. "You say that all of the time, Yami." Yugi said._

"_Well, I'm going to follow through with my claim this time around, Yugi." Yami said as he also made his move._

_The two had been playing the game for quite some time._

_Yami glanced up at Yugi and watched as he contemplated his move. He smirked before he leaned across the table and kissed Yugi soundly on the lips._

_Yugi's eyes widened in shock and he completely lost his train of thought. He made a move that he hadn't meant to make._

_Yami's smirked then widened as he made his own move. "Checkmate." Yami said._

_Yugi glared at him. "That was a low and dirty trick, Yami." Yugi said._

"_Maybe, but I still won." Yami said._

_Before Yugi would say anything else, Yami leaned across the table and kissed Yugi again._

_Yugi gave up and just kissed Yami back._

~End Flashback~

'How I out up with him, I don't know, but I do love him deeply.' Yugi thought.

Yugi was lost in thought when hands suddenly covered his eyes. "Huh? Who's that?" Yugi asked.

The lips on his neck told him exactly who it was.

"Good morning to you, too, Yami." Yugi said.

Yami chuckled. "Not yet." Yami said. He then turned Yugi around to face him before he kissed Yugi on the lips. He broke the kiss and said, "Now it's good morning."

"You are so crazy, Yami." Yugi said.

"Glad that you think so." Yami said.

Yugi smiled at him. "What are you doing up so early?" Yugi asked.

"Well, I remember you saying that you had a busy day today, so I wanted to spend a little time alone together." Yami said.

Yugi smiled. "That's a good idea, Yami." Yugi said.

Yami then sat down beside Yugi. "What are you doing out here so early, anyway? I was surprised when I didn't find you in you room." Yami said.

"I just came out here to think. I do that a lot." Yugi replied as he looked out across the gardens.

There was a slight bit of dew that was on the different plants and flowers in the gardens, making the different plants seem to shimmer in the early morning sunlight.

"I can see why you come here in the morning so often. It's even more beautiful in the morning." Yami said as he looked at everything.

"I know." Yugi said.

Yami looked over at Yugi and saw that Yugi also looked rather stunning to him in the sunlight. "You know something, Yugi." Yami said.

Yugi turned to look at Yami. "What's that?" Yugi asked.

"I think that you're the most beautiful thing in this garden." Yami said.

Yugi smiled at him. "You're very sweet, Yami." Yugi said.

Yami smiled back at him. He then cupped Yugi's face in his hands and leaned forward, kissing Yugi. Yugi slid his arms around Yugi and kissed him as well. The kiss was gentle and tender, conveying how much they loved each other.

The two then broke the kiss.

"I love you, Yugi." Yami said as he ran a thumb over Yugi's cheek.

"I love you, too." Yugi replied.

The two just stayed in the garden, enjoying each other's presence until the last second.

Sighing, Yugi said, "I need to go. I have that first meeting before long."

"I guess I won't be seeing you for a while then." Yami said, not entirely happy about that thought.

"No, you won't. Sorry about that, Yami." Yugi said.

"It's not your fault, Yugi." Yami assured him.

Yugi leaned forward and kissed him chastely. "Maybe we can have a quiet dinner in my room this evening." Yugi said.

"Okay. Let me know if we can." Yami said.

Yugi nodded and then got up, heading back into the palace.

Yami sighed once Yugi was out of sight. 'I do love that man so much. I wish that I could spend more time with him, but I know that he has to take care of his kingdom.' Yami thought.

Yami stood up and headed back into the palace as well, heading to the library for a little while.

* * *

Yugi had had to go to a meeting with Dartz, Solomon, and several other high members of society to discuss the state of the kingdom's economy.

"We must find a way to raise our economy." a man said.

"Yes. We have spent too much time rebuilding everything for the peasants." another man scoffed.

Yugi looked up at him. "Would you prefer they live as they did under my father's rule?" Yugi asked.

"I only mean that too much time and money has gone to help those who don't deserve it." the man said.

Yugi then stood up. "My father taxed them to the point that four and five families were forced under one roof just to survive. People starved to death or would be tortured to death because they could pay the taxes. These people suffered the most under my father's tyranny. Are you saying that they should continue to suffer?" Yugi asked.

The man wasn't unnerved by Yugi. "I think things were just fine the way they were." the man said snobbishly.

Dartz slammed his hand on his the table loudly. "How dare you! Perhaps those that were rich and had power were unaffected by it because they had wealth and could handle what was thrown at them, but those that live simple lives do not have the fortune!" Dartz growled.

The man glared. "Then they should have had more money!" the man spat.

"How could they do that?" Yugi asked, sitting back with his arms crossed over his chest.

The man was taken off guard. "What?" the man asked.

"How could they get more money when my father's taxes were taking everything? Homes, business, he even took women and children as slaves to torture and use for his own reasons. Do you think that would be beneficial?" Yugi asked.

The man, now realizing he had pissed off the wrong man, said, "I only meant that we need to put more time into other means."

Yugi stood up, glaring at the man so fiercely that the man flinched and took a step back. "Do not tell me what we need to do. I spent three years as the head of the rebellion. I lived as the common people lived. I suffered as they suffered. I fought to gain freedom from someone like my father, but you want me to be like my father by not caring about my people! Without the people, there is nothing to rule!" Yugi growled.

"Emperor, I-" the man started.

"Enough! You were one of the ones that lived in luxury while those people lived in poverty and hunger! You know nothing of the people and their plight! You know nothing of their pain! I won't tolerate this kind of behavior or lack of respect for those that fought to give us the freedom that we now have!" Yugi said.

"Emperor, I didn't mean any disrespect!" the man protested, realizing what he had done.

"I no longer care. Get out of my palace. You no longer carry the title of noble. I will make sure everyone knows that it is your support of my father that you have lost your title and wealth." Yugi growled.

"You can't do that!" the man shouted.

Another man at the table rose. "Yes, he can! That tyrant made our kingdom something we all hated. Only you were happy with it of those that sit at this table! The people suffered enough. You stayed in the luxury of the palace or the luxury of your home. We all saw the devastation. We feared him, so we did not oppose him, but we did not support him, either." the man said.

"Timaeous! Critias! Hermos!" Yugi called.

The three Knights appeared.

"Take this man out of this palace. He is not allowed back in here nor is he allowed in his home. He no longer as the rank of noble for his support of my father." Yugi said.

The Knights grabbed the struggling man and forced him to leave.

"How long will he live?" a different man asked.

"Once the people find out he wanted things to stay as they were under the last emperor's rule, he'll be killed." another said.

Yugi sat back down. "I will not tolerate such behavior or cruel speak toward anyone of the kingdom or any other kingdom. Let this be a warning to you all." Yugi said.

The men nodded their understanding.

"Now, we should start discussing ways to boost the economy of the kingdom without harming anyone." Solomon said.

Everyone started to discuss ways that they could help the kingdom.

None of the ideas, however, included the mistreatment of any of the people in the kingdom, most importantly the common people.

* * *

Yami was sitting in his room, reading a book.

After going to the library, Yami had found a book that he had not read, so he took it back to his room to read since he knew that he would not be seeing Yugi for a while.

The door opened, and Yami looked up to see Firestar in the room.

"What are you doing here, Firestar?" Yami asked.

"Bored." Firestar answered as he jumped onto the bed with Yami.

"I thought that you might would go to the meetings that Yugi was having." Yami said as he put his book down.

"Nah. Those meetings are too boring for my taste. I'll go on occasion, but I don't really like to go." Firestar answered.

"I heard a rumor that Yugi got pissed as someone." Yami said.

"Yeah. Turns out that we didn't quite get everyone that supported his father. This guy just wanted to leave things as they were under Kenshin's rule as far as he was concerned. Master got pissed and told the guy off. He didn't know what it was truly like under Kenshin's rule. He's been tripped of his title, and he's losing all of his wealth. I can almost guarantee he'll die, too." Firestar said.

"Why would Yugi kill him?" Yami asked, surprised.

"Not Master. It'll be the people of the kingdom that kill him for wanting things as they were under the former emperor's rule. They'll be angry about that." Firestar said.

"I guess it doesn't matter." Yami said.

"Nope. I just hope that they don't spend all day in those meetings." Firestar said.

"So do I." Yami said, not wanting to have to be apart from Yugi all of the time.

* * *

After a long and tiring day, Yugi headed for his room.

'I am exhausted.' Yugi thought.

Yugi had spent the entire day going over different ideas on how to boost their economy.

Of course, trade with the other kingdoms of the world would be at the top of the list, and that was probably going to be the best way to start at least.

Yugi walked into his room.

The table had enough food for two people on it with candles in the center of the room, lit. The balcony doors were open, and the moonlight filtered into the room, giving the room a soft glow. A light breeze blew the curtains at the balcony.

Yami stood on the balcony. When he heard Yugi enter the room, he turned and smiled at Yugi. "Hi, Yugi." Yami said.

"Hi, Yami. I see you remembered my dinner invitation." Yugi said.

"I wouldn't forget something like that, Yugi. Besides, I thought that it would be the perfect time for us to have a romantic dinner together." Yami said as he walked into the room over to Yugi.

Yugi smiled at him. "Yami, I think that that's a great idea." Yugi said.

Yami smiled back. He then kissed Yugi lightly. "Come on. Let's eat before it gets cold." Yami said.

Yugi nodded, and the two sat down to eat.

"What did you do today, anyway?" Yugi asked as they ate the dinner that had been prepared.

"Oh, the usual. I did a little reading, I talked to Firestar. I also chased a few girls." Yami said.

Yugi started laughing. "Yeah. I really believe that you went chasing girls." Yugi said.

"I was bored, so I decided to chase them." Yami said, sounding serious.

"Okay. I believe that." Yugi said, acting as serious as Yami had sounded.

After a moment, the two started laughing.

"Seriously. I just did some reading and had Firestar around." Yami said.

"Sounds like fun." Yugi said.

"Oh, yeah. I have to have a 400-pound tiger for company." Yami said.

"500-pound." Yugi corrected.

"Okay. 500-pound tiger." Yami said.

"Sorry. I'm hoping that my schedule won't be as hectic once we are able to get the economy on track." Yugi said.

"Well, I understand." Yami said.

After the two finished eating, Yugi called a servant and gave her the dishes before he went back into the room with Yami.

"This was a great thing that you did tonight, Yami. Thank you." Yugi said.

"No problem." Yami said. He leaned forward and kissed Yugi. Yugi wrapped his arms around Yami's neck while Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi's.

Yami ran his tongue over Yugi's bottom lip, and Yugi opened his mouth, letting Yami into his mouth. Yami roamed around every inch of the cavern that he had come to know so well. Yugi moaned as Yami traced Yugi's mouth thoroughly.

Soon, the two were forced to break apart for air.

The two starred into each other's eyes and could see their own emotions reflected in the other's eyes. Love, devotion, and a hint of lust.

"Yugi, do you think that this is such a good idea?" Yami asked.

"I don't know, but right now, I couldn't care less." Yugi replied.

**LEMON STARTS HERE!**

Yami leaned down and kissed Yugi again before he started to trail kissed down his face to his neck. Yugi let his eyes close as Yami trailed kisses down Yugi's neck.

Yami then took Yugi's cape off and threw it to the floor. He then started to walk forward, forcing Yugi to walk backwards. When Yugi's legs hit the back of the bed, Yami pushed Yugi backwards onto the bed.

"Yami!" Yugi exclaimed.

Yami smirked down at Yugi as he climbed onto the bed with Yugi. "What?" Yami asked.

Yugi grabbed Yami by the shirt and pulled him down. Yami leaned down and kissed Yugi.

While Yami had Yugi distracted with the kiss, he let his hands trial down Yugi's chest as he started to unbutton the shirt. Once Yugi's shirt was completely unbuttoned, Yami got the shirt off of Yugi and threw it to the floor.

Yami then took a moment to admire Yugi's chest. He thought that Yugi's pale skin in the moonlit room was exquisite. "You're beautiful." Yami said.

Yugi blushed at that. "No, I'm not." Yugi said.

"To me, you are the most beautiful person in the world, Yugi." Yami said. He then leaned down and kissed Yugi before he trailed kisses down Yugi's neck. Once Yami reached Yugi's collarbone, he bit down lightly.

Yugi yelped slightly in shock at the sudden bite.

Yami then licked the bite mark as if he was saying sorry.

Yami then continued on down Yugi's body, kissing, licking, and nipping at the sweet flesh as he went. When Yami reached one of Yugi's semi-erect nipples, Yami circled the nub with his tongue before he took the nub into his mouth and started to suck on it.

Yugi cried out at that as he arched his back.

Yami continued to suck on the nub until it was hard before he turned his attention to the other nub, giving it the same treatment.

Once he was done that, Yami kissed on down Yami's body until he reached Yugi's naval, where he dipped his tongue in several time.

Yugi arched and moaned under Yami's ministrations.

Since he could go no further, Yami reached down and undid Yugi pants before he pulled them and Yugi's boxers as well as his shoes off and into the floor.

Yugi was now lying naked underneath Yami.

Yami gazed down at Yugi nude body and smirked when he saw that Yugi was already erect. He reached out and ran a finger over the underside of Yugi's member, causing Yugi to hiss at the action. "Is this because he me, Yugi?" Yami asked teasingly.

Yugi growled and wrapped his legs around Yami before he pulled him down. "What do you think?" Yugi hissed.

Yami smirked. "I think that I am doing a very good job." Yami said.

Yugi glared at his lover while Yami continued to smirk.

Yami then raised back up, unwrapping Yugi's legs from around his waist. "I don't think that I'm done teasing you yet." Yami said.

"I think you have." Yugi said.

"Well, I don't." Yami retorted. He placed his hands on Yugi's hips before taking Yugi's member completely into his mouth.

Yugi screamed at that as he threaded his hands in Yami's hair. "Ah! Yami!" Yugi moaned.

Yami started to bob his head up and down on Yugi's member, causing Yugi to thrash.

Yugi tried to buck up into the mouth on him, but Yami's hold on his hips prevented that.

Yami started to suck on Yugi, but he kept the sucks weak.

"Ah! Yami! Please!" Yugi begged.

Yami chuckled, unwittingly sending vibrations down Yugi's member.

Yugi groaned at that, wishing that Yami would do something more.

Yami let go of Yugi's member and said, "I don't want to end this too soon."

Yugi glared at him. "You had better do something fast before I have to finish what you started." Yugi growled.

"Not a chance." Yami said. With that, Yami took off all of his clothes and threw them into the floor with Yugi's.

Yugi gazed at Yami's body. "And you said that I was beautiful." Yugi said.

"You are." Yami answered.

Before Yugi could protest, Yami leaned down and kissed Yugi lightly.

"Yugi, you don't happen to have any kind of lube, do you?" Yami asked.

"Uh, bedside table." Yugi said.

Yami reached over and opened the drawer, easily finding what he was looking for. He raised an eyebrow. "Did you plan this?" Yami asked, looking at his lover.

"No, I didn't plan this. I just had it in case." Yugi answered. He then added, "A good thing, too."

"It certainly is." Yami agreed.

Yami opened the bottle and spread some of the lube onto three of his fingers.

Knowing what was coming, Yugi spread his legs for Yami.

Yami settled between them and used one finger to circle Yugi's entrance, loosening the muscles before he slipped one in.

Yugi gasped slightly when he felt the finger inside of him.

"Are you okay, Yugi?" Yami asked, slightly worried.

"Yeah. It just feels a little odd." Yugi answered.

Glad that Yugi wasn't in pain, Yami started to move the finger around before he slipped in the second finger.

Yugi winced slightly at this managed to keep his body relaxed.

Yami started to move the two fingers in a scissor like motion, stretching Yugi further. He then added in the third finger, brushing Yugi's prostate.

"YAMI!" Yugi cried.

Yami smirked and thrust his fingers up into that spot several times as he stretched Yugi, getting Yugi to cry out each time.

Satisfied that Yugi was ready, Yami removed his fingers from Yugi and took the bottle again, pouring some into his hand before he coated his member in it. Once he was thoroughly lathered, Yami threw the bottle aside before he positioned himself at Yugi's entrance.

Yugi knew what was coming, so he wrapped his legs around Yami's waist and his arms around Yami's neck.

"Ready?" Yami asked.

"Hurry up!" Yugi growled.

Heeding his words, Yami thrust all the way into Yugi with one fluid motion.

Yugi arched up, tightening his legs around Yami's waist. A pain laced up his spine as he tried to adjust to Yami being inside of him.

Yami felt like he was drowning. Being inside something so warm and hot was amazing, but he remained still so that Yugi could adjust.

As the pain started to ebb away, Yugi started to move his hips experimentally.

Yami gasped when Yugi did that.

Realizing that Yami liked that, Yugi did it again.

Knowing that Yugi was ready, Yami pulled out until only the tip of his member was left inside of Yugi before he thrust back in.

Yami set a slow, gentle pace, not wanting to hurt Yugi since this was Yugi's first time.

Yugi had other ideas. "Yami, please! Go faster! Harder!" Yugi begged.

Growling at the lust-drenched tone, Yami did as he was asked and started to thrust harder and faster into Yugi.

Yugi cried out as Yami struck his prostate hard. "Ah! Yes! That's it!" Yugi cried/

"Yogi! So tight! So hot1" Yami groaned.

Yami's pace turned rough and frantic as he thrust in and out of Yugi at a fast pace.

Yugi's legs tightened even more around Yami's waist as his nails dug into Yami's shoulders.

Yami had never felt so complete in his life. He knew that being with Yugi was the best thing in the world. He loved how hot and tight Yugi was. He also loved Yugi with all his heart.

Yugi also felt so complete being with Yami. He loved how Yami felt inside of him. He also new that he loved Yami more than anything, and he wouldn't trade Yami for anything.

Yami could feel his end approaching and before he could so anything, he released heavily into Yugi. "YUGI!" Yami groaned as he came.

Yugi gasped as Yami filled him with his seed.

Yami then collapsed on top of Yugi as he tried to catch his breath. Once he did, he raised up.

Yugi was whimpering as he was still extremely hard, having not had the chance to release as well.

Yami smirked, knowing exactly how he would help Yugi.

Yami pulled out of Yugi before he placed his hands on Yugi's hips and leaned down, licking the tip of Yugi's member and tasting the pre-cum that had accumulated there.

Yugi cried out at that. "Yami, please!" Yugi pleaded as he threaded his hands in Yami's hair.

Deciding to have mercy on his lover, Yami leaned down and took Yugi all the way in his mouth, starting to suck.

Yugi cried out again as Yami sucked on him, tightening his hands in Yami's hair.

Yami kept on sucking on Yugi.

Yugi soon reached his end. "YAMI!" Yugi cried as he released into Yami's mouth.

Yami swallowed every drop that Yugi released before he let go of Yugi's member.

Yugi panted as he recovered from his orgasm.

**LEMON ENDS HERE!**

Yami then kissed Yugi, causing Yugi to taste himself on Yami's lips.

"I don't know about you, but I thought that that was wonderful." Yami said.

Yugi smiled. "I couldn't agree more." Yugi said.

Yami then lay down beside Yugi and pulled him into his arms.

Yugi curled up against Yami and rested his head on Yami's chest, yawning.

"I think that we should get some sleep, Yugi." Yami said.

"Hmm. I agree." Yugi said, already dozing off.

Yami chuckled at that, "Good night, Yugi." Yami said.

"Night, Yami. Love you." Yugi replied.

"I love you, too." Yami said, kissing the top of Yugi's head.

The two soon fell asleep.

* * *

Firestar pushed open the door to Yugi's room and walked in.

'I didn't get the chance to see Master today. Yami sees him more than me.' Firestar thought.

Firestar noticed the clothes that were strewn everywhere. 'Hmm. Master's not usually messy. He doesn't throw his clothes in the floor.' Firestar thought.

Firestar then looked at the bed and was shocked. He saw Yugi and Yami sleeping together.

Firestar then smirked. 'So, Master and Yami are much closer than I thought.' Firestar thought. He then jumped on the bed and lay down at the foot of the bed. 'Well, if they're happy, then I'm happy.' Firestar thought as he lay his head down and also drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: A bit more between Yugi and Yami.

R&R.


	7. Time

Here's the next chapter.

There is another lemon with Yugi and Yami in this chapter, so don't read between the bold if you don't like that kinf of thing. You were warned!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7- Time

The sunlight filtered through the window of the balcony and into the room itself.

The sunlight hit Yugi in the face, and he slowly opened his eyes only to close them again as the light hit him in the eyes. Yugi groaned as he turned over only to roll right into something.

Not sure what was going on, Yugi opened his eyes to find himself looking into Yami's smiling face.

Yugi then smiled. 'Last night was wonderful. I'm so glad that Yami and I are together.' Yugi thought.

Leaning forward slightly, Yugi kissed Yami on the lips gently.

Yami opened his eyes when Yugi kissed him and found himself looking right into Yugi's face. Yami smiled and said, "Good morning."

"Morning." Yugi replied.

"How did you sleep?" Yami asked.

"Fine. It wasn't like I wasn't tired. You made certain of that." Yugi said.

Yami chuckled. "Well, I couldn't very well let you be wide awake when you tried to go to sleep." Yami said.

"Yeah. I'm sure that that's the reason." Yugi said.

Yami laughed and leaned forward to kiss him.

"We're going to have to get up soon." Yugi said.

"I know, Yugi." Yami said. He tried to move his legs and frowned when he couldn't.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked when he saw the frown on Yami's face.

"I can't move my legs." Yami said.

Yugi raised up slightly and looked at the end of the bed before he started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Yami asked, surprised.

"Well, I think that the reason you can't move your legs is because you have a 500-pound tiger on your legs." Yugi replied.

"I resent that!" Firestar retorted.

"Resent it all you like, Firestar. You're still a 500-hundred pound tiger." Yugi said.

Firestar glared at his master.

"Firestar, get off!" Yami snapped.

"Fine, Mr. Grumpy." Firestar said, getting up and walking across the bed to lay back down.

"I am not grumpy. I just don't exactly relish waking up to find that a tiger is laying on my legs making it impossible for me to move." Yami said, sitting up to look at Firestar. "What are you doing in here anyway?" Yami asked.

"This is my master's bed. I always sleep in here with him." Firestar said.

"That is true. He does come in here every night." Yugi agreed.

Firestar then looked at them. "I saw that you two made a night of it." Firestar said.

Yugi blushed.

"So what if we did?" Yami asked.

"Just stating a fact. How long have you two been together?" Firestar asked.

"A few weeks, actually. Since the night of the ball." Yami said.

"Oh. Why not tell anyone?" Firestar asked.

"We just don't want anyone to know right now, Firestar." Yugi answered.

"Suit yourself." Firestar said. He jumped off the bed. "Well, I'll leave you two to get decent." Firestar said before he left the room.

"I'm going to kill that tiger." Yugi said, sitting up. He winced as a sharp pain went down his back.

"Are you okay, Yugi?" Yami asked worriedly.

Yugi smiled at him. "I'm fine, Yami. Last night was my first time, so I'm going to be a little sore for a while. Firestar did make a good point. We need to get out of bed and get ready for the day. If anyone finds us in bed together, everyone is going to know that we are together." Yugi said.

Yami nodded his understanding.

The two then climbed out of bed, and Yugi limped to the bathroom with Yami. The two took a relaxing bath together.

"Well, I'll have to go to my room to get some fresh clothes." Yami said as he put on the clothes that he had been wearing the day before.

"You might want to keep some clothes in here from now on." Yugi suggested.

"Not a bad idea." Yami agreed.

"I'll see you at breakfast." Yugi said, kissing Yami quickly.

"Okay." Yami said.

Both left the room with Yami heading to his own room.

* * *

Yugi walked into the dining room to find that Dartz and Solomon were already in the room.

"Good morning, Emperor." Dartz said, looking up.

Solomon's eyes widened. "Yugi, what happened?! Why are you limping?!" Solomon exclaimed.

'Shit! I forgot about that.' Yugi thought. Thinking fast, Yugi said, "I tripped up last night, and I think I turned my ankle."

"Did you get one of the palace doctor's to look at it?" Solomon asked.

"No, Grandpa. It's fine. I'm just going to be limping for a little bit. It's not that big if a deal." Yugi said.

"In any case, you probably need to stay off of your feet today." Dartz said.

"A good idea." Yugi agreed as he sat down at the table.

"Have you seen Prince Yami this morning?" Solomon asked.

"Yes, I have, Grandpa. He said that he'll be joining us shortly." Yugi answered as a servant brought his breakfast to the table.

"All right." Solomon said.

"Since we have the kingdom completely rebuilt, I think that it is time that we focus on the peace treaty with Egypt. They are the only kingdom that we haven't made peace with." Dartz said.

"We do have peace with them, Dartz." Yugi said.

"Yes. I know we have a peace, but it is always better to have a written document to go along with that. The marriages are not going to act as a peace agreement now." Dartz said.

"He's right, Yugi. It's time that we make that agreement. That is the real reason that Pharaoh Aknankanon sent Prince Yami here in the first place." Solomon said.

"I know that, Grandpa. I haven't forgotten that we do need to have the documents for the peace, and I am not going to let that go by." Yugi assured him.

"I think that you and Yami should spend today discussing the terms of the peace." Solomon said.

'Spending the entire day alone? Yami would love that.' Yugi thought.

"You two can spend all day alone working out the details." Dartz added.

"Okay." Yugi said.

A few moments later, Yami joined them, having changed into clean clothes.

"Good morning, Prince Yami." Dartz said.

"Good morning, Lord Dartz." Yami answered as he sat down.

In a few moments, a servant had brought Yami his food.

"We were just discussing the peace treaty that needs to be made between Egypt and the Millennial Kingdom." Solomon said.

"What about it?" Yami asked as he started to eat.

"Since everything is better with the kingdom, you two should down and discuss. You can take the whole day if you need to." Solomon said.

"I see." Yami said, glancing at Yugi.

"We'll leave you two to discuss all of the details." Dartz said.

After breakfast was finished, Yami and Yugi were left alone in the dining room.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Yami asked as he looked over at Yugi.

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, Yami. It does. We spend the whole day together." Yugi answered.

"Well, that works just fine for me." Yami said.

"Come on. We should go on to my office." Yugi said.

The two then got up and left the dining room as well, heading to Yugi's office.

* * *

~Egypt~

Atemu and Heba were in their room in Egypt.

"So, what should we do since your father gave us the say off?" Heba asked. He turned to look at his husband and got the answer from the smirk on Atemu's face. "Oh no! Not again, Atemu!" Heba said.

Before Heba could react, Atemu had grabbed his husband and pinned him to the bed.

Now, Heba could have easily gotten out of Atemu's grip if he had wanted to, but he didn't bother.

"Why not, Heba? We do have the whole day to ourselves, and I can't even remember the last we made love." Atemu said, nuzzling Heba's neck.

"Atemu, we just made love last night." Heba retorted, knowing that Atemu was just addicted to sex.

Atemu raised up. "Okay. So, I can't get enough of being with you. So sue me." Atemu said.

"Suing you would be like suing myself, Atemu." Heba said.

"Well, I guess you don't have a reason to sue me then." Atemu said.

Neither heard the door open.

"Do you two do nothing else?"

The two looked to see that Waterstar was in the room.

"Get out, Waterstar!" Atemu snapped.

"Fire." Waterstar said before trotting out of the room.

"That tiger is annoying." Atemu muttered.

"Well, maybe we should-" Heba started.

"Not a chance." Atemu said before leaning down and kissing Heba soundly.

Knowing that it was pointless to argue with his husband, Heba just gave in.

* * *

~Millennial Kingdom~

Yugi and Yami collapsed onto the couch that was in Yugi's office after a rather rough round of lovemaking.

"You know, I don't think that this is what Dartz and my grandfather meant about discussing the terms of the peace treaty." Yugi said as he lay down on Yami's chest with a blanket covering them.

Yami chuckled. "Well, it was much more fun." Yami said as he ran a hand down Yugi's back gently.

"Hmm. This isn't going to help my limping." Yugi muttered.

"You could have said no." Yami said.

Yugi raised up slightly to look at him. "Like you would have listened." Yugi said.

"True." Yami agreed as he leaned up and kissed Yugi again.

Yugi moaned slightly into the kiss.

Yami then broke the kiss. "How about another round?" Yami asked.

"Yami, we really need to get to the peace treaty. We can't put it off because Grandpa and Dartz will hound me about it, and I don't want them to think that I am being irresponsible." Yugi said.

Yami groaned. "I don't want to get up." Yami said.

"We have to." Yugi said as he sat up.

"Fine. I guess if we have to we have to." Yami said.

The two then gathered their clothes and got redressed.

"So, what should we do about the treaty?" Yugi asked.

"Well, I know that there are a few things that Father wants. Mainly, he wants us to have a trade alliance with you as well as a military alliance." Yami said.

"Well, the trade's already going on. I'll have to go over specifics with him." Yugi said.

"Well, mainly I'm here acting as Father's ambassador. You and I will make a treaty and then Father will look over it. If he agrees with it, he'll sign it. If not, we start back over with the treaty." Yami said.

"Okay. I think that the trade would be fine staying as is." Yugi said.

"I agree. As far as a military alliance, mainly if we at war, Father would like this kingdom to offer supplies as an aide and troops if need be should Egypt ever be at war. The same courtesy would be extended here. Than again, you probably wouldn't Egypt's help." Yami said.

Yugi laughed. "You'd be surprised, but I agree. A military alliance is a good thing to have." Yugi said. He walked over to his desk and got out official documents. "We should get all this down." Yugi said.

"Right." Yami said, going over to the desk as well.

The two then started to discuss the terms for the treaty, for real this time.

* * *

~Egypt~

Heba and Atemu had fallen asleep together after a vigorous four rounds of lovemaking.

The two were sound asleep, curled up together.

Neither heard the slight noise outside of the baloney outside their room.

The next thing, they did hear.

"RRROOOAAARRR!"

"AAAAHHHH!"

Atemu and Heba jolted awake after hearing the loud roar as well as scream. Both jumped out of bed and robes.

Heba grabbed his sword and walked out on the balcony. He stopped. "Hey, Atemu. Get some guards." Heba said, taking on a relaxed stance.

"Why?" Atemu asked, coming out onto the balcony as well.

Heba motioned forward.

Atemu looked and his eyes widened in surprise.

Waterstar had a man in a black cloak pinned to the ground.

"Go on." Heba said.

Atemu nodded and started to leave when there was a knock.

"Prince Atemu! Are you all right?" a frantic voice asked.

Atemu opened the door and motioned the guards to the balcony.

The guards went and were surprised to find that Waterstar had a man pinned to the ground.

"I'm assuming that he came here in an attempt to kill wither me or Atemu. Possibly both. Waterstar stopped him." Heba said.

"Well, that's good." one of the guards said.

"All right, Waterstar. The guards can take him." Heba said.

Waterstar got off of him, and the guards grabbed the man before forcing him to leave the room.

"Well, we had better get dressed since Father is going to hear about this." Atemu said.

"Right." Heba said. He then petted Waterstar's head. "Good boy." Heba said.

Waterstar purred. "Just doing my duty." Waterstar answered.

Heba chuckled.

Atemu and Heba then got themselves dressed before they left the room with Waterstar.

* * *

~Millennial Kingdom~

"Well, I think that Father will be satisfied with this treaty." Yami said when the two finished discussing the terms of the treaty.

"I hope so." Yugi agreed.

"I don't see why he would have any problem with it. Both kingdoms benefit, and neither really lose anything." Yami said.

"Neither kingdom needs much really." Yugi said.

"Agreed." Yami said.

"Well, I'm sure that Grandpa and Dartz are going to want to look over this." Yugi said.

"Do they not trust you?" Yami asked, surprised.

"It's not that so much as they want to make sure that I didn't miss anything." Yugi said.

"Well, I can't blame them. Father is going to be doing the same thing." Yami said.

Yugi glanced at the clock. "Well, I think that we had better get some lunch." Yugi said.

"Okay." Yami agreed.

Yugi had a servant send lunch to his office.

"We could have just gone to the dining room." Yami said.

"Yes, and then Grandpa and Dartz would know that we finished the treaty. I think that I would prefer them think that we are still discussing it so that we can spend time together." Yugi said.

"Hmm. Good idea." Yami agreed, leaning forward and kissing Yugi.

After a few moments, the two were forced to break apart when there was a knock on the door.

Yami sat in the seat across from Yugi.

"Come in!" Yugi called.

Two servants walked in and left the trays of food on the desk before leaving.

The two then started to eat dinner.

* * *

~Egypt~

"He what?!" Aknankanon growled.

"Calm down, Father. We're fine. Waterstar stopped him before he could do anything." Atemu told him.

"That's good. I have to admit that bringing them here was a good idea." Aknankanon said, knowing that Waterstar, Lighteningstar, Earthstar, and Windstar had all foiled assassination attempts on several people, including Aknankanon himself.

"We can deal with him now." Amara told her husband.

Aknankanon agreed.

Soon, the guards brought the man that Waterstar had stopped into the throne room.

"You are charged with the attempted assassination of the Crown Prince Atemu as well as his husband Prince Heba. How do you plead?" Aknaudin asked the man although he was certain that the man would deny such a thing.

"I would have done it if that damned tiger hadn't gotten in my way!" the man snarled, angry that he had been stopped.

Aknankanon's expression darkened. "Then you will be sentenced to death. Take him back to the dungeons. He will be executed tonight." Aknankanon said.

The guards then took the man to the dungeons.

"I have to say that the tigers are a good thing." Isis said.

"Only doing our job." Lighteningstar said.

"Yeah, and scaring the assassin to the point that he pisses on himself is part of your job." Ryou said.

"No, but that's just my enjoyment." Lighteningstar snickered.

"I thought it was pretty funny." Marik said.

"You would." Joey muttered.

"It doesn't matter. At least he does his duty." Seto said.

* * *

~Millennial Kingdom~

**LEMON STARTS HERE!**

That night, Yugi and Yami stumbled into Yugi's room that night, kissing each other.

Yugi shut the door, and Yami locked it so that they wouldn't be disturbed.

Yugi unbuttoned the front of Yami's shirt and pushed it off of Yami's shoulders before he pushed Yami backwards into the bed.

Yugi then climbed onto the bed as well. "We're doing things differently tonight." Yugi said as he straddled Yami's waist.

Yami smirked up at him. "I think I like the sound of that." Yami said.

Yugi leaned down and kissed Yami before eh started to trail kisses down Yamis' neck.

Yami moaned softly at the soft touches to his skin.

Yugi reached Yami's chest and started to kiss, lick, and nip at the skin.

When Yugi reached one of Yami's nipples, he pulled the nub into his mouth and started to suck on it. He sucked on it until it was hard before he bit down lightly on it, getting Yami to cry out at that. Yugi then turned his attention to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment.

Once done with the nipples, Yugi kissed on down Yami's stomach. At his naval, Yugi dipped his tongue in several times.

Since he could go no further, Yugi undid Yami's pants and pulled them off and threw them into the floor.

Yami shivered as the cool air hit his already erect member.

Yugi smirked. He did enjoy seeing Yami naked.

Yugi placed his hands on Yami's hips before he leaned down and licked the tip of Yami's member roughly, tasting the pre-cum that had accumulated there.

"Yugi!" Yami exclaimed when Yugi licked his tip.

Yugi smirked before he took Yami's member into his mouth and started to suck on him.

Yami reached down and buried his fingers into Yugi's hair.

Yugi sucked even harder on Yami's member since he wanted to taste Yami.

"Ah! Yugi! Ah! I'm so close!" Yami cried.

Yugi chuckled at Yami's cries, sending vibrations down Yami's member.

The vibrations were Yami's breaking point. "YUGI!" Yami cried out as he released into Yugi's mouth.

Yugi swallowed every drop that Yami released, relishing in the taste. He then let go of Yami's member and raised up, licking his lips. "You taste wonderful, Yami." Yugi said.

Yami blushed at that.

Yugi chuckled at the blush. He then took off all of his clothes so that he was naked as Yami was. "I think it's time you knew how I felt." Yugi said as he grabbed the lube.

Yami smirked. "I think so as well." Yami said, excited at the thought of being taken. He spread his legs for Yugi.

Yugi settled between Yami's legs and opened the lube, coating three fingers in it. He then slipped one finger inside of Yami.

Yami gasped at the sudden intrusion.

Yugi started to move the finger around inside of Yami before he added in a second finger.

Yami gasped at this one as he tensed.

"Relax, Yami." Yugi said.

Yami nodded and forced himself to relax.

Yugi started to move the fingers in a scissor like motion, starting to stretch Yami. Once satisfied with the two, Yugi added in a third finger.

"YUGI!" Yami cried as Yugi's finger struck his prostate.

Yugi smirked as he scissored all three fingers. He then removed his fingers, gaining a groan of protest from Yami. Yugi chuckled. "Don't worry, Yami. We're not done yet." Yugi said. He took the lube and coated his member in it before he cast the bottle aside.

Yugi positioned himself at Yami's entrance before he thrust all the way in to the hilt.

Yami cried out as his back arched. He wrapped his legs around Yugi's waist.

Yugi had planned on waiting and giving Yami time to adjust, but Yami had other plans.

"Yugi, move!" Yami ordered.

Yugi did as he was told as he started to thrust in and out of Yami at a fast, rough pace, knowing that that was how Yami would want it.

"Ah! Yugi! Oh! So good!" Yami groaned as he clutched at Yugi's shoulders.

"Yami! So tight! So hot! Wonderful!" Yugi moaned as he continued to thrust into Yami.

Yugi could feel himself reaching his end, so he reached between their sweaty bodies and grasped Yami's member, starting to stroke him in time with his thrust.

The hand on his member became Yami's breaking point. "YUGI!" Yami cried as he released onto their chests and stomachs.

Yugi felt Yami's walls clamp down on him, and he was thrown over the edge as well. "YAMI!" Yugi groaned as he released inside of Yami.

The two were tense for a few moments before Yugi collapsed on top of Yami.

**LEMON ENDS HERE!**

After he regained his breath, Yugi pulled out of Yami and rolled over beside Yami.

"Hmm. That was great, Yugi." Yami said as the two cuddled up together.

"Glad that you think so." Yugi agreed.

Yami chuckled. "I think that I'm going to have to let you be on top more often." Yami said.

"We take turns, Yami." Yugi said.

"Right." Yami agreed.

The two curled up into each other's arms and fell asleep.

* * *

~Three Month Later~

The last three months of Yami's stay in the Millennial Kingdom seemed to fly by, and it was now time for Yami to leave.

Yugi was the only one able to see Yami off since everyone else was busy.

"Well, I guess this is it." Yami said as he turned to face Yugi.

Yugi smiled sadly. "I know, Yami." Yugi said.

Yami walked over to Yugi. "I'm going to miss you, Yugi." Yami said.

"I know, Yami. I'll miss you, too." Yugi said as tears filled his eyes.

Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi and pulled Yugi into a tight hug. He didn't want to let go. "I'm sorry, Yugi. I didn't think that it would be this hard." Yami said.

"I know." Yugi said as he broke the hug and whipped his tears away. "We both have a duty to do. You have your duty to Egypt, and I have my duty to the Millennial Kingdom." Yugi said.

Yami placed a hand on Yugi's cheek. "Yugi, I love you. There will never be anyone else." Yami said.

"I know, Yami. I love you, too. No one will ever take your place." Yugi said.

Yami leaned down and kissed Yugi.

The two remained in the kiss for as long as they could manage.

"You should go." Yugi said softly.

Yami nodded. He didn't want to leave, but he knew that he had to.

Wanting to make it easier, Yami turned and walked through the portal without looking back.

Yugi bit his lip. He then turned and walked down the hall with Firestar close behind him.

* * *

When Yami arrived back in Egypt, all of his family was waiting for him.

"Welcome home, Yami." Amara said, hugging her son tightly.

Yami pasted on a fake smile and acted like nothing was wrong even though his heart was breaking. "Hey, Mom. It's good to be back." Yami said.

"I'm sure that you're glad to be back home." Bakura said.

"You have no idea." Yami replied.

"Come on. Let him through." Aknankanon said.

The group then walked on into the lounge.

"Man. How did you survive in the Millennial Kingdom?" Marik asked.

"It wasn't that hard, Marik. I enjoyed the time that I spent there." Yami said.

"Yeah, but I bet that there's no place like home." Seto said.

"No, there's not." Yami agreed although he was lying.

After a while, Yami said, "I've had a long day, so I think that I'll go to bed."

"All right." Amara said.

Yami then left them.

"It's great that he's home." Amara said.

"Yes, it is." Aknankanon agreed.

* * *

In his room in the Millennial Kingdom, Yugi lay on his bed with his face buried in his pillow as he sobbed from the indescribable pain he was feeling.

Firestar watched sadly as his master cried, knowing that there was nothing he could do. He got up and went over to Yugi, nuzzling him.

Yugi sat up and whipped his cheeks. "I knew this was coming. I knew we couldn't work out. I knew that is starting a relationship would be a bad idea, but I didn't want to pass the chance up." Yugi said.

"I know, master." Firestar said.

Yugi wrapped his arms around Firestar and buried his face into Firestar's fur, sobbing.

Firestar reached up with a leg and put his paw in Yugi's back, wanting to comfort his master as much as he possibly could.

Yugi wanted to be with Yami, but he knew he couldn't. He had a duty to his people, and he couldn't abandon them for any reason.

He was duty-bound to rule the Millennial Kingdom, so he had to stay there.

Losing Yami hurt more than anything, though.

* * *

The moment that Yami was safely in his room, he let his fake happy façade call as his started to fall.

Yami walked over to his bed and sat down, starting to cry,

'I knew this was coming. I knew we would break up. So why does it hurt so much?' Yami asked himself.

Yami lay down on his bed as he let the silent tears fall.

Yami did like being back with his family, but his breaking heart told him he wanted to be with Yugi more.

'Why did it have to be this way? Why?' Yami asked himself, wishing for nothing more than to go back to the Millennial World and being with Yugi.

But he couldn't. His duty to Egypt forced him to stay in Egypt.

And that hurt more than anything.

* * *

Hope you liked it. I know that no one is happy that Yami left, but please don't kill me! They do stay together in the end! I promise!

Next: Some things happen in Egypt.

R&R.


	8. Attack!

Here's the next chapter!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8- Attack!

A week had passed by since Yami had returned to Egypt, and everything had seemed to be going fine.

Yami was lying in his bedroom on his bed. He had wanted to spend the afternoon alone since he hadn't spent a moment alone since he had gotten back.

Yami had managed to put on a façade that he was fine and happy to be back when he just wanted to die from the thought of not being able to with Yugi.

'I miss him so much. I knew that it would be hard to lose him, but I didn't think that it would hurt this much. It feels like someone ripped my heart out.' Yami thought.

Tears filled Yami's eyes as he thought about the love of his life.

'What am I going to do without him? I love Yugi so much.' Yami thought.

There was a knock on his door.

Sitting up quickly, Yami wiped the tears from his face, thankful that he hadn't been crying for long. "Come in." Yami said.

The door opened, and Atemu walked in. "Hey, Yami. Sorry to disturb you, but we have a meeting that we need to go to." Atemu said.

"Oh. Okay." Yami said. He followed his brother out of the room and toward the throne room.

Once in the throne room, they found that everyone else was there as well.

"Ah. There you two are." Aknankanon said.

Yami and Atemu took their places.

"Now, since everyone is here, I might as well tell you that there will be a ball at the end of the week." Aknankanon said.

"A ball?" Atemu asked.

"Yes. We have to have one. It's the annual one where the nobles all come here." Aknankanon said.

"Oh. That one." Bakura said. He obviously wasn't happy about it.

"You don't have to worry about that, Bakura." Amara said.

"So, we have to be ready for it then." Joey said.

"Yes. And I want everyone to be on your best behavior. No funny business." Aknankanon said, glaring at them.

"Drat." Lighteningstar muttered.

"And I would prefer that the tigers were not there." Aknankanon said.

"But-" Earthstar started.

"Do you really want to be there with all of the nobles?" Waterstar asked.

"I know that I don't." Windstar said, stretching.

"Why not?" Aknaudin asked.

"Because most nobles, at least the ones in the Millennial Kingdom, are nothing but stuck-up, rich, snobs who have a superior attitude and think that they are better than everyone else that they are around. Plus, all they do is try to kiss royalty's ass. No offense intended." Windstar said.

Aknankanon sighed. "You describes about every noble in the kingdom, unfortunately." Aknankanon said.

Amara chuckled. "Not one of us like this, but it is something that we have to do. You know all know that." Amara reminded them.

"We know that. We don't necessarily have to like it." Amara said.

"We won't." Marik said.

"There is nothing more that we have to discuss. You can all go." Aknankanon said.

Everyone got up and walked off.

Aknankanon sighed. "I hate these events." Aknankanon said.

"Yes, but I think that Yami is the one that is going to hate it more than anyone else." Amara reminded him.

"True. All of the girls and some of the guys will be after him." Aknaudin agreed.

Aknankanon sighed again. "I just hope that Yami keeps his temper in check." Aknankanon said.

"This is Yami that we're talking about, brother. Since when has Yami ever tried to keep his temper in check when there are people making unwanted advances against him?" Aknaudin asked,

"I know, but I can hope." Aknankanon said.

* * *

Yami had immediately gone back to his room. He leaned back against the door and sighed. 'Great. A ball. Now I have to deal with the bitches that want to come onto me solely because they can taste the power that they would have as my wife.' Yami thought.

A shudder went down Yami's spine at the thought of having one of those girls as his wife.

'I can't. I won't be able to ever marry. Yugi is the only one for me. I know that. I just have to deal with the fact that Yugi and I can't be together, but that doesn't mean that I am going to try and replace him. I could never replace him. I will just have to live my life alone.' Yami thought.

Yami walked over and sat down on the bed. He let out a sigh.

Yami missed Yugi more than anything. He had barely been gone a week, and he couldn't stand the thought of being away from Yugi. He longed to be back in the Millennial Kingdom where he could talk to Yugi about anything, where he could be with the one he loved. He knew that he could never love another.

Yami sighed. 'There will never be anyone else.' Yami thought.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Yami said.

Bakura and Marik came in, smirking.

"What do you two want?" Yami asked, not liking the smirks on their faces.

"We were just wondering how you were going to avoid all of those money grubbing bitches at the ball." Bakura said.

Yami groaned. "Don't remind me of them. I am dreading them enough on my own." Yami said.

"Well, we could help out with that problem." Marik said.

"No. Dad will murder you if you do anything to them." Yami said.

"Who said anything about doing anything to them? We were just going into interrupt their seduction attempts and drag you off." Marik said.

Yami glanced at them. "Why would you two want to help me? You love to torture me." Yami said.

Bakura looked thoughtful. "True, but we find much more enjoyment in torturing those girls." Bakura said.

"If you get me away from them, have at it." Yami said.

"Thanks!" the two said before running out.

Yami looked in shock as they ran out. "Somehow, I get the feeling that they are going to do more than they said, and they are going to use me as their scapegoat." Yami muttered as he shut the door to his room that Bakura and Marik had left open.

Yami sighed. 'I wish that Yugi was here. I could go with him to the ball then.' Yami thought.

* * *

Heba was sitting on his and Atemu's bed.

"Something on your mind, Heba?" Atemu asked as he looked over at his husband.

"Yeah. Yami." Heba said.

"Yami? Why are you thinking about him?" Atemu asked.

"I don't know. Ever since he got back from the Millennial Kingdom, he just hasn't been acting like himself. I don't know why, but he just seems a bit off." Heba said.

Atemu grabbed an arm around Heba's shoulders. "Heba, you're worrying too much. Yami is just fine. He seems to be fine. I don't see a problem at all." Atemu said.

"I know. I can't explain it, but I get the feeling that something is wrong." Heba said.

"Why don't you ask him about it?" Atemu asked.

"I don't want to pry. Besides, it may be nothing at all." Heba said.

"You're probably right. Besides, he'd tell me if something was bothering him." Atemu said. He thought a moment and then added, "And right now, he's probably trying to figure out a way to avoid all of those girls and guys at the ball. You know that they're going to be all over him since he's the only one in the Royal family that isn't married."

"Yeah. You know that we're going to have rescue him a few times." Heba said.

"I know. I know the feeling of having them all over me, and there is no way that I am going to let him have to suffer through that all night long." Atemu said.

"Well, I just hope that none of them are too persistent." Heba said.

"You have no idea how persistent some of them can be." Atemu said.

* * *

~The Ball~

Yami stood in his room, ready.

Yami wore a pair of black pants with black boots along with a blood-red shirt and a dark purple cape. He also wore his crown.

Yami starred at himself in the mirror. 'I hate this. I don't like these balls.' Yami thought.

Yami then thought back to the ball that he had attended with Yugi when he and Yugi had confessed their love for each other.

'That was probably the only ball that I have ever enjoyed.' Yami thought.

Letting out a sigh, Yami headed to the door to leave the room, knowing that he couldn't put leaving off much longer.

One his way down the hall, Yami ran into Atemu and Heba, who were heading that way themselves.

"Hey, Yami. Are you ready for the seduction attempts tonight?" Atemu asked.

Yami groaned. "No. I will be hounded the entire night, and I don't look forward to it. I can't stand it when those girls act like there is no one better for me than them when they act like the biggest sluts on the face of the planet." Yami said.

"Don't worry, Yami. Até and I will save you a few times if we can." Heba said.

"I would appreciate it." Yami said.

The three then arrived at the doors to the ballroom where Aknankanon and Amara were waiting for them.

"Are you three ready for this?" Aknankanon asked.

"Sure." Yami said sarcastically.

"Yami, please try and be nice." Aknankanon told him.

"I will, Dad. Just don't expect me to fall for their seduction attempts or act nicely id they don't leave me alone." Yami said.

"Just don't cause a scene. Other than that, I don't care how you deal with it." Aknankanon said.

Yami nodded his understanding.

Knowing that it was time for the ball to start, Aknankanon motioned for the guards to open the doors to the ballroom.

The guards then opened the doors to the ballroom.

Aknankanon and Amara walked into the ballroom with Atemu, Heba, and Yami behind them.

The ballroom had grown quite when the Royal family had entered the room, and all of the guests watched as they five made their way up to the throne that was in the room.

Aknankanon and Amara sat on the two thrones while Atemu and Heba stood to Aknankanon's right, and Yami was standing beside his mother.

Aknankanon then stood up to face his guests. "I would like to thank you all for coming to the ball this evening. Please enjoy yourselves this night." Aknankanon said.

Everyone clapped.

Aknankanon then motioned to the musicians to start playing, and the ballroom was filled with music.

People started to talk among themselves as well as eat and dance.

Aknankanon looked over everyone. He saw some nobles that he didn't mind quite so much as well as those nobles that he hated to have in his palace. 'I just pray that they keep the ass-kissing to a minimum. I don't want to have to deal with these people kissing my ass anymore than Yami wants to deal with those seduction attempts.' Aknankanon thought.

Amara could tell what her husband was thinking from the look on his face and placed her hand over this. "Aknankanon, calm yourself. There is no need to get upset over something like this. It is only one day a year that we must do this." Amara said.

"I know." Aknankanon said.

Atemu couldn't help but laugh. "I think that you dread this just about as much as we do." Atemu said.

"I just have different reasons for it." Aknankanon said.

"Now, you boys don't need to stay around us the whole time. Go and mingle." Amara told them.

Atemu and Heba walked down the stairs arm-in-arm with Yami following behind them.

'And the torture begins.' Yami thought.

* * *

Bakura and Ryou were walking around the room.

"I just love balls." Ryou said.

"That makes one of us." Bakura muttered.

"Come on, Kura. It's not that bad." Ryou said as he held Bakura's arm.

"Yes, it is. Even though we are married, there are some people that won't take the hint that they need to back off and leave me alone." Bakura said.

"Don't worry, Kura. If they won't take the hint, then I'll make sure that they get the point." Ryou said.

Bakura glanced at him. "I hope that you can." Bakura said.

Ryou smirked. "I know I can." Ryou said.

As the two were walking, a woman with red hair and green eyes came up to them. "Hello, Lord Bakura." the girl said sweetly, acting as if Ryou wasn't even there.

"What do you want?" Bakura asked, not bothering to hide his irritation.

The girl took no notice of Bakura's tone. "I wondered if you would like to dance with me." the girl said, smiling seductively.

Bakura suppressed a growl, wanting to deck the girl for merely mentioning something so absurd. "I'm sorry, but I do not wish to dance with you." Bakura said.

"Oh, come on. One dance won't hurt." the girl said, looking at Bakura with pure lust in her eyes.

Bakura gritted his teeth. "In case you haven't noticed, I am here with my _husband_." Bakura said, stressing the work husband. "I would rather spend the time here with him." Bakura said.

The girl did finally take notice of Ryou by glaring at him.

Ryou wasn't fazed by her at all. He knew that his relationship with Bakura was secure, and he was rather amused by this. 'I could stop here easily, anyway.' Ryou thought.

The girl pasted on a fake smile. "I'm certain that Lord Ryou would not stop you from having one dance with a pretty girl." the girl said.

"Actually, I would mind. I would rather spend the time that I had during the ball with my husband. Besides, would you not prefer to be with your _date?"_ Ryou said, making sure that she knew he knew she was there with someone.

Bakura finally noticed that guy that was glaring their way. "I think you might want to pay more attention to your date. It wouldn't due to anger a family of higher rank than you." Bakura said.

The girl starred wide-eyed at the two.

"Now, if you will excuse." Ryou said.

Bakura and Ryou walked off.

Bakura chuckled. "Glad you noticed the guy. I sure didn't." Bakura said.

"Well, I tend to notice things like that." Ryou answered.

"Well, I wouldn't have. Thanks for getting me out of that mess." Bakura said.

"It wasn't hard. Now, for saving you, you owe me a dance." Ryou said.

"Fine." Bakura agreed.

The two walked out onto the dance floor and started dancing together.

* * *

Marik and Malik were standing by the banquet table.

"Hmm. Wish I didn't have to be here." Marik muttered.

"Come on, Marik. It's not like it's a death sentence." Malik said.

"You're right." Marik said.

Malik smiled at his husband.

"A death sentence would be more enjoyable and less painful." Marik said.

Malik sighed. He knew that his husband would never change, but he could always hope.

"Lord Marik." a seductive voice said.

Both men took to see a blonde with dark eyes standing there, smiling sweetly at Marik.

"I thought that you would enjoy this." the girl said, showing Marik the plate of food that she had prepared for him.

Marik raised an eyebrow. "And why would you think that?" Marik asked.

The girl didn't lose her seductive smile. "I saw that you didn't have any food, so I thought that you might be hungry, and since your husband didn't get you any thing," the girl said, glaring at Malik, "I thought that I would."

Malik bit back a laugh. 'If she thinks that Marik is that easily fooled, she is mistaken although Marik's going to get her good.' Malik thought.

"Well, you are right. Malik didn't get me anything." Marik said.

The girl smiled triumphantly at Malik.

"Because I didn't ask for anything. Besides, if I wanted something, I would have gotten it myself. I have two hands, so I don't need someone to wait on me hand and foot." Marik said.

"But I thought-" the girl started.

"You thought that you could earn my favor and possible get in my bed, but that won't be happening. I have no need for someone like you. I am perfectly content with my life now." Marik said.

The girl turned red from embarrassment.

"Come on, Malik. Let's go somewhere a little better." Marik said.

Marik and Malik walked off.

"I enjoyed the way you handled that." Malik said.

"Well, she had it coming. Besides, you're the only one welcome in my bed." Marik said.

"I had better be." Malik muttered.

* * *

Joey and Seto were standing near the balcony since the two liked to get away from the crowd every now and then.

Joey had noticed the girls that were constantly looking over their way and ogling at Seto. "Hey, Seto." Joey said.

"What is it, Puppy?" Seto asked.

"Is there any reason that you haven't said a word to those girls that keep starring at you?" Joey asked.

"Because they haven't done anything. As long as they say nothing to me, I won't say anything to them." Seto said.

"I thought that you hated when people starred." Joey said.

"I do, but I can deal with it. If they start touching, they're dead." Seto replied. He had a look of pure boredom on his face.

Joey smiled. He knew that if any of the girls came over to them, they would regret it. 'I wish that one of them would come just so I could see their expression.' Joey thought.

Joey's prayers were answered.

A girl with dark hair and blue eyes walked up to them. "Lord Seto." the girl said, smiling sweetly, but her eyes betrayed her lust.

Seto glared at her with annoyance. "What?" Seto asked gruffly.

"I merely came over here to see if you would like to take a walk in the gardens." the girl said.

Seto raised an eyebrow.

"It is a beautiful night, and it is so romantic." the girl said.

Seto smiled. "You're right." Seto said.

The girl smiled, thinking that she had won.

Seto turned to Joey and said, "Come on, Puppy. Let's go." Seto took Joey's hand and headed for the path to the gardens.

"Where are you going?" the girl demanded.

Seto turned back to look at her. "To take a walk in the gardens with my husband." Seto said.

"B-but I thought-" the girl started.

"You thought I would walk in the gardens with you. I am a married man. I will walk in the gardens with my husband, not you." Seto said. He then turned to Joey. "Come on." Seto said.

Seto and Joey walked out into the gardens, leaving the embarrassed girl behind.

* * *

Atemu glanced at his watch. "Hmm." Atemu hummed.

"What's up?" Heba asked, looking over at his husband.

"In a span of seven minutes, Bakura, Marik, and Seto have all managed to embarrass someone that has come onto them. I'll have to tell them." Atemu said.

"What do they do? Try to beat the old record each time?" Heba asked.

"Yes. That's one of the reasons. They beat the old record by two minutes." Atemu said.

"What's the other reason?" Heba asked.

"They each bet on how long it will take for all three of them to embarrass some one, and the one with the closest time wins the bet." Atemu said.

"What did they bet on?" Heba asked.

"I don't rightly know." Atemu answered.

"Who won on time?" Heba asked.

"Seto. He said seven." Atemu said.

Heba nodded.

It was then that a woman with brown hair and green eyes walked up to them. "Hello, Prince Atemu." the girl said, smiling at him.

Atemu raised an eyebrow. "What can I do for you?" Atemu asked although he had a good idea of what she was going to say.

"I just wondered if you would like to take a walk with me." the woman said.

Heba watched this in amusement. 'She doesn't realize what she's getting herself into.' Heba thought.

"Why would I do that?" Atemu asked.

The woman flipped her hair back. "Because everyone would envy you seeing you with such a beautiful woman." the woman answered arrogantly.

"Really?" Atemu asked.

"Yes." the woman said, smirking at Heba.

Heba didn't respond in the least.

"Well, I'm afraid that I have to disappoint you." Atemu said.

The woman glared. "Why?" she hissed.

"Simple. I am a married man. If walk with anyone, it will be my husband." Atemu answered.

The woman glared at Heba. "It's your fault I can't be queen now." the woman hissed.

Atemu started to say something, but Heba beat him to it.

"Even if I didn't marry Atemu, I don't think you would have been queen." Heba said.

"And why's that?" the woman demanded.

"Because Atemu wouldn't marry someone who has a superiority complex nor would he marry someone who only thinks of herself and the power she would gain from the position." Heba said.

The woman glared.

"I suggest you leave now, and don't cause a scene. You have no more business here." Atemu said in a firm tone.

The woman turned and strutted off.

"She has a real superiority complex." Heba said.

"I agree." Atemu replied.

* * *

Yami stood by the banquet drinking on a glass of wine. Or rather, sipping in it. He wasn't big on drinking and usually didn't get one full glass down.

"Prince Yami." a sweet voice said.

Yami turned to find himself facing a girl. He knew who she was. It was Lady Nadine, known for getting into any man's bed that she wanted. "Can I help you, Lady Nadine?" Yami asked.

Nadine smiled seductively. "I wondered if you wanted to dance with me." Nadine said.

"No." Yami said bluntly.

Nadine was startled, but wasn't going to stop. "Prince Yami, one dance won't hurt. Of course, if you would prefer, we could leave the ball and go back to your room and have some fun of our own." Nadine said, taking his arm in hers.

Yami glared at her. "If you don't want to be arrested, I suggest you let go of me." Yami growled.

Nadine, startled, let go. "I only-" Nadine started.

"I know what you wanted. You wanted to go back to my room to have sex in hopes that you would get yourself knocked up so that you could gain power in Egypt by forcing me into marriage because of the child." Yami said.

Nadine's eyes widened.

"I know your type, and I have no interest in you. Now go." Yami said.

"I only wanted to talk." Nadine said defensively.

"No, you didn't. Leave. Me. Alone." Yami said.

Nadine, getting the message, walked off.

'If she thinks she can replace Yugi, then she is sadly mistaken. No one will ever take his place.' Yami thought.

* * *

No one at the ball expected what happened next.

The windows were suddenly blown in by an unknown force.

"What the hell?!" Aknankanon shouted.

Everyone started screaming ad panicking as they tried to get out.

Heba, Joey, Ryou, and Malik all sensed something and turned to the source.

There were four men in black robes standing there.

Sensing danger, the four grabbed swords and ran to face them.

"Who are you?!" Heba demanded.

"You won't care soon enough." one said.

The four attacked them.

Joey blocked the sword of one and forced him back. He tried to kick the man, but the man caught Joey's foot and twisted him in the air. Joey crashed onto his back. The man brought his sword down at him, but Joey rolled out of the way and jumped up, kicking the man in the stomach. The man ducked to avoid Joey's sword and then kicked grabbed Joey by the wrist, twisting Joey's wrist.

"Ah!" Joey shouted in pain.

Malik ducked before he turned and kicked the man in the chest. The man stayed on his feet and ran at Malik. He brought his sword down at Malik so hard that the sword Malik held snapped in two. The man brought the hilt of his sword into Malik's cheek, throwing Malik backwards into the wall.

Ryou blocked a strike from the man before he rammed himself forward into the man. The man stumbled back before he lunged forward at Ryou. Ryou turned out of the way before he tried to strike the man, but the man moved out of the way. He then jabbed forward with his sword, striking Ryou across the top of his shoulder.

"AH!" Ryou shouted as he fell backwards.

Heba blocked the man's sword and forced him back only to then by kicked in his stomach and was thrown backwards. Heba stayed on his feet and charged forward at the man. The man blocked Heba's sword with each strike that he made before he kneed Heba in the stomach and then threw Heba backwards into a wall.

"JOEY!" Seto shouted.

"MALIK!" Marik yelled.

"RYOU!" Bakura screamed.

"HEBA!" Atemu cried.

The four looked up at the men.

"This is only the first strike. This kingdom will be defeated." one of the men said.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Heba demanded.

"Who we are is of no importance. The Zordanians will take over this kingdom and then the Earth will be outs." the man said.

The four men then disappeared in smoke.

Seto, Marik, Bakura, and Atemu ran over to their husbands with Aknankanon, Amara, Yami, Aknaudin, Isis, Mahado, Shada, and Karim behind them.

"Are you okay?" Seto asked Joey.

"I think my worst was sprained." Joey said.

"Damn I! I'm going to have a bruise!" Malik growled, holding his cheek.

"Talk about pain." Ryou said, holding his wound.

Heba said nothing.

Atemu walked over and helped him up. "Are you okay, Heba?" Atemu asked.

"No, I'm not." Heba said.

"How bad are you hurt?" Isis asked.

"I'm not. I just had the wind knocked out of me." Heba answered.

"Then what's wrong?" Yami asked.

'We are screwed." Heba answered. He turned to look at them. "I don't know what we're dealing with, but they are powerful." Heba said.

Everyone knew that he was right, and they all knew that they were in trouble.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Can't have a ball without some abboying girls at times. Nadine probably won't show up again.

Next: Answers to who attacked them.

R&R.


	9. Legend of the Millennium Items

Here's the next chapter.

The Millennium items are mentioned here, but I gave them a different way of being created. Just warning you beforehand.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9- Legend of the Millennium Items

Isis had tended to the injuries that Heba, Joey, Ryou, and Malik had sustained during the battle.

"Are you guys okay?" Atemu asked as the four walked into a room with a large table with chairs around.

"We'll live. It could have been worse." Heba answered.

"Yeah, and I'm going to strangle those men the next time that I see them!" Malik growled as he sat down by Marik.

"Who were they?" Bakura asked.

"It'll be better to wait until the Pharaoh and the others to return to start addressing that." Isis told them.

"She's right. Dad's going to want to discuss this as a group. No sense in going over everything twice." Yami agreed.

The group waited until Aknankanon and Amara came to the room along with Aknaudin, Shada, Karim, and Mahado.

"Were you able to calm down the people?" Atemu asked.

"Amazingly, yes. We've assured them that we are going to get to the bottom of this and defeat this new enemy as soon as possible." Aknankanon said. He looked up and said, "I have no idea how we're going to do that, though."

"How can we? You saw what they were capable of. I have no doubt that they could easily defeat us all." Shada said.

"Who were they, anyway?" Amara asked.

"That's a good question. I never could see their faces, so it's impossible to know who they were." Ryou said.

"They were definitely not Egyptian. No Egyptian has that kind of power." Karim said.

"Not necessarily." Joey said.

"What are you talking about?" Seto asked.

"Everyone knows that there are all kinds of books on different types of magic. Anyone could gain powerful magic if they got their hands on a book like that." Joey said.

"He makes a good point." Lighten star said.

Everyone looked to see the four tigers in the room.

"Any idea who they were?" Aknaudin asked.

"Nope. We didn't actually see them. We got there after the battle ended, remember." Waterstar said.

"He's right. They weren't there to see them." Malik said.

Heba was pacing the room. He was deep in thought over the current situation that they were in.

"What do we actually know?" Mahado asked.

"About all we know is that they had powerful magic, they were good fighters, and they called themselves Zordanians. Whatever those are." Ryou said.

"I have never heard of such a thing." Aknankanon said.

"I don't think that anyone here has." Marik said.

"There's something that I don't get. They had them beat, so why did they just leave?" Bakura asked.

Malik glared at him.

"What? You did get beat." Bakura pointed out.

"He's right. They must be waiting for something." Ryou said.

"Like what?" Isis asked.

"That I don't know." Ryou answered.

Heba was still pacing the floor behind Atemu and Yami, lost in his thoughts.

"Heba, you've been rather quiet. What do you think about all of this?" Yami asked.

There was no answer.

"Heba?" Atemu asked as he turned to look at Heba.

"Oh no!" Malik groaned, covering his face with his hand.

"What's wrong?" Shada asked.

"He's pacing, and that usually means that he's lost in his thoughts. That usually means that he is not going to be answering us any time soon because he doesn't hear anything when he's thinking like that." Atemu answered.

'I know that I have heard the term Zordanians before, but I just don't know where. I can't remember anything about it either, which isn't a good thing. They are obviously a bad thing and not being able to remember it is not going to help us on any level.' Heba thought.

"Hey! Heba!" Joey shouted.

Heba just kept pacing.

"Okay. How do we get him to listen to us?" Marik asked.

"It takes a lot to get through to him." Atemu said.

"Any effective way to do that?" Aknankanon asked.

'Oh, there's a way, Dad. I just don't think that you're going to want me to do that here.' Atemu thought, knowing that the last time he had managed to snap Heba out of his thoughts it had been him starting to make love to Heba, although Heba seemed all too happy to go along with it.

Lighteningstar smirked before he crept up behind Heba.

"Uh, Lighteningstar? What do you think that you are doing?" Ryou asked.

"Helping." Lighteningstar answered.

"Oh no!" Malik groaned, covering his face with both hands.

Everyone watched as Lighteningstar stood right behind Heba.

"RRRROOOOAAAARRRR!"

"AAAHHHH!"

Heba hadn't expected the sudden roar to be so close to him, and he jumped, letting out a scream of fright. He had jumped right over the chair and landed right in someone's lap.

Lighteningstar started to kill himself laughing.

"Lighteningstar!" Heba shouted, peering around the chair to glare at named tiger.

"Well, you wouldn't respond any other way, and we had to get your attention somehow." Lighteningstar said.

Heba growled. "I'm going to kill you!" Heba snapped.

Lighteningstar started to run, but Waterstar pinned Lighteningstar to the ground.

"Let go, Waterstar!" Lighteningstar shouted.

Waterstar looked at Heba and said, "Want to kill him now, Master?"

"Not yet, but I will later." Heba answered.

"Heba, you landed in the wrong brother's lap." Yami told him.

Heba looked to finally realized that he had landed right in Yami's lap when he had jumped. "Oh. Sorry about that, Yami." Heba said as he got out of Yami's lap.

"What were you thinking about so hard about?" Atemu asked.

"It's what those men said." Heba answered.

"What part of what they said?" Ryou asked.

"When they called them Zordanians. I know that I have heard that term somewhere, but I have no idea where from or what it was about them that they were." Heba answered.

"That's too bad. We could have used the information." Aknankanon said.

"You know, now that I think about it, I remember that term, too." Yami said.

All eyes turned to Yami.

"How could you know that? It doesn't even sound remotely familiar to me." Seto said.

"Well, when I was staying in the Millennial Kingdom, I did a lot of reading. It's possible that I read something about it in one of the books, but I don't remember what it was that I read about them." Yami explained.

"Well, there is only one thing left to do then." Joey said.

"What's that?" Amara asked.

"We have to ask the one person that will most likely have the answer to that question." Joey answered.

"Who's that?" Marik asked.

"Yugi." Heba, Ryou, Malik, and Joey said at the same time.

"Yugi?" Yami asked.

"Yeah. Yugi can tell you just about anything that you want to know about the Millennial Kingdom off the top of his head. Chances are, he'll know something or at least know where to look to learn about it." Heba said.

"Will he have time, though?" Aknankanon asked.

"He'll have to make time because this is important." Heba said.

"Will the unexpected visit not hurt him somehow?" Amara asked.

"We don't have to go. We set up that room to allow us to communicate with him at anytime." Ryou said.

"I say that we get to that room then." Atemu said.

Everyone got up and headed out of the room.

Yami was the last one out. 'We're having to go to Yugi for help. I hope that seeing him on that monitor will be easier than I think it will. If I break down, everyone is going to know what happened between us.' Yami thought as he followed everyone.

* * *

Yugi was in his office going over some paperwork.

Yugi had been holding up just about as well as Yami was. He missed having Yami around dearly, and he wished that he could have Yami back with him. He was working constantly as to distract himself from the pain in his heart.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Yugi called.

Timaeous walked into the room. "Emperor, sorry to disturb you, but Prince Heba has contacted us." Timaeous said.

"Timaeous, tell Heba that I don't have the time for a social call at the moment." Yugi answered, not looking up.

"Emperor, Prince Heba said that it's not a social call and that it is urgent." Timaeous said.

Yugi looked up. He knew Heba well enough to know that when Heba said that something was serious, it was really serious.

Yugi stood up and followed Timaeous out of the room.

* * *

Heba was sitting down in the chair while everyone else was standing around nervously, hoping that they would get some answers from Yugi very soon.

A holographic image of Yugi appeared in the center of the console.

"_Heba, Timaeous says that something serious is going on._" Yugi said.

"You could say that. There was an attack here, Yugi." Heba said.

"_An attack?!_" Yugi exclaimed, shocked.

Heba nodded. "We know the name of the group that attacked us, and I think that it might be something that is in Millennial history, but I couldn't remember what it was, so I thought that you might know." Heba said.

"_If I know, I'll tell you. What was the name of the group?_" Yugi asked, hoping that he would be able to help them in some way.

"They were call Zordanians." Heba answered.

Yugi's eyes widened. "_Zordanians?! Are you sure about that?_" Yugi asked.

"Yes. Why?" Heba asked.

"_It'll be easier for me to explain it if you come here."_ Yugi said.

Heba could tell that Yugi was dead serious, which meant that there was a lot more to all of this than he thought there was. "All right, Yugi. We'll be right there." Heba said before he cut off the connection.

"So, we're going to go there?" Atemu asked.

"If Yugi says that, then yes. I can tell that he is very serious." Heba said.

"We can't leave. It would only throw the kingdom into a great deal of chaos. You will all go." Aknankanon said, referring to Heba, Atemu, Ryou, Bakura, Malik, Marik, Joey, Seto, and Yami.

"Sure thing, Dad." Atemu said.

'Oh no. I have to face Yugi again. I don't know if I can do this.' Yami thought, a little worried.

* * *

Yugi was in his office, getting a few books. 'If the Zordanians are back, then we are in a great deal of trouble.' Yugi thought.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Yugi said.

Heba and the others walked in.

"Yugi, Timaeous said that you were in here." Heba said.

"Yeah. Get in here and shut the door." Yugi said.

The group did as they were told.

Yami hung back a little so that he didn't have to be too close to Yugi. He was afraid of losing control.

"Yugi, what do you know about the Zordanians?" Heba asked.

"Not as much as you would like, but I do some." Yugi said, flipping through a book.

"What about them?" Bakura asked impatiently.

"Bakura!" Ryou scolded.

"It's okay. The Zordanians are a group of powerful sorcerers who were once hell-bent on taking over the entire universe. They had magic more powerful than anything ever imagined, and their magic only made their skills even better." Yugi said.

"That explains why we couldn't defeat them." Heba said.

"Are they Millennials?" Atemu asked.

"No. In truth, no one knew what they were, and at the time, no one cared." Yugi answered.

"How do you know this?" Seto asked.

Yugi turned the book around so that everyone could see it.

The title read: The Great Millennial War.

"What is this?" Heba asked.

"It's a war that happened in the Millennial Kingdom a few hundred years ago. It was before our time. Way before our time. I read a great deal on the subject. Apparently, the warriors in the Millennial Kingdom of the time were not able to do much damage because they were powerful in magic, and they knew that it was next to impossible to win against them as they were. Despite the powerful magic that all of the Millennials possessed, it seemed to be impossible for them to win against them." Yugi said.

"Obviously they did, though." Bakura said.

"Yes, they did. By using these." Yugi said, turning the page.

On the page were pictures of eight gold objects.

"What are these?" Yami asked.

"Powerful, magical relics. Using magic that hadn't been used in hundreds of years from that time, the Emperor of the day created these items, which he called the Millennium items. There are eight in all with magical powers. The Millennium Eye, which could see into a person's soul. The Millennium Ring, which could sense evil in a person's heart. The Millennium Necklace, which could see visions of the past and future. The Millennium Scales, which could weigh the amount of good and evil in a person's heart. The Millennium Key, which could see into a person's heart and see what their desires, dreams, etc were. The Millennium Rod, which could actually control a person. There were two Millennium Puzzles, which held a great deal of magical power each." Yugi said.

"And these items were able to help them win?" Malik asked,

"Yes. It was able to neutralize the power of the magic that was used by the Zordanians, making the very weak. It was through that weakness that they were able to win the war against them." Yugi said.

"What happened to the Zordanians, though?" Heba asked.

"No one really knows." Yugi admitted. He glanced down at the books before he looked back up. "There are several theories, one of which said that some of the Zordanians survived the war and went underground. It is said that they were waiting until they grew powerful enough to win the war. That seems to be the most likely answer now." Yugi explained.

"Why Egypt, though? If they originally fought here in the Millennial Kingdom, why were they attacking Egypt?" Atemu asked.

"I don't have an answer to that." Yugi said.

"Okay. Give us these items so that we can stop these people." Bakura said.

"I can't do that." Yugi answered.

"Why the hell not?! We need those items so that we can save our kingdom!" Bakura shouted, glaring at Yugi menacingly.

Yami started to yell at Bakura for yelling at Yugi.

Yugi, however, was unfazed by this.

"Do you want Egypt to fall?! Without those damned items, we're going to lose everything!" Bakura shouted.

Yugi rolled his eyes.

Ryou smacked Bakura in the back of the head. Hard.

"OOOWWW!" Bakura shouted, rubbing the back of his head. He looked at Ryou and said, "What was for?!"

"Kura, if you would calm down and listen, I'm sure that Yugi has a good reason for not going us the items." Ryou said.

"There is a good reason. I don't have them." Yugi said.

"You don't?" Heba asked.

"No. The Emperor during the time of the war saw how powerful the items were and knew that they could be used for evil means by anyone who had them, so he hid them." Yugi said,

"How do we find them then?" Atemu asked.

Yugi picked up another book. "You can find them. There are clues to where they are that you can follow." Yugi said, flipping through the book.

"So, will you help us find them?" Malik asked.

"I can't do that because I can't leave." Yugi said.

"What do you mean?" Yami asked.

Yugi looked at them all. "The Emperor hid the items on Earth. They're scattered throughout the planet. If you want to find them, you have to follow the clues and search for them." Yugi said. He then handed Heba the book that contained the clues.

Heba looked through the riddles. "I don't know how we're going to find them, but we'll do the best that we can." Heba said.

"I'll have the army here ready. If you need help, just call us. We'll help you during the war should one come. I pray that we are able to stop this before it gets to that point." Yugi said.

"We'll tell the Pharaoh. Can we take all these books?" Heba asked.

"Of course." Yugi answered.

Heba and Atemu gathered the books before everyone left the room along with Yugi.

When the others were talking to Solomon, who had come to see them.

Yami had grabbed Yugi and pulled him aside.

"Yami, what is it?" Yugi asked.

"I'm sorry, Yugi. I just, I wanted to talk to you alone for a moment." Yami said.

"Is it as hard for you as it is for me?" Yugi asked.

Yami smiled sadly. "I think so. I didn't realize how hard it would be." Yami said.

"Neither did I, but we both have our paths to follow, and we have to deal with it." Yugi said.

"I know." Yami said.

Unable to help himself, Yami leaned forward and pressed his lips against Yugi's.

Yugi knew that this was a bad idea, but he reached up and wrapped his arms around Yami's neck, pulling Yami closer and deepening the kiss.

* * *

Unknown to Yugi and Yami, Atemu saw them.

Atemu had seen Yami pull Yugi aside, and his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He had followed them, but he was too far away to tell what they were saying.

When Yami kissed Yugi, Atemu's jaw dropped. He was sure that his jaw was scrapping the floor when he saw Yugi pull Yami closer.

'What the hell is going on here?! Yugi and Yami are kissing each other! What is going on between them?' Atemu asked himself.

Not wanting to be caught, Atemu walked off and rejoined the others.

In a few moments, Yugi and Yami had returned to the group although only Atemu had noticed their disappearance.

"We need to get back and tell the Pharaoh all of this." Heba said.

"Of course, Heba." Solomon said.

"I'll get the army ready in case you need us." Yugi said.

Heba nodded before they all left through the portal.

Yugi turned to his grandfather. "We must be ready to lend our aid. With the Zordanians back and fighting against the Pharaoh, our assistance may be necessary." Yugi said.

"Of course. We must aid them in any way possible." Solomon agreed.

The two then went to do just that.

* * *

"So, that's who they are." Aknankanon murmured as he looked through everything that Yugi had given to them.

"Yes. That's all that Yugi knew about them." Heba said.

"He has given us a way to fight back, though. We are going to need to try and find all of the items." Aknaudin said.

"I agree. We have to have those items if we want even a chance at saving the kingdom." Aknankanon agreed.

"Father we can search for the items." Atemu said.

"Are you certain that you all want?" Amara asked.

Atemu, Heba, Marik, Malik, Bakura, Ryou, Seto, Joey, and Yami all nodded their heads in affirmation.

"I agree. You all can pull it off together. I have no doubt about that." Aknankanon said.

"We will do what we can against the Zordanians if they attack again." Karim said.

"Yugi did say to call him f you need help. He has offered the aid of the Millennial army if you need it.' Heba said.

"I fear that we may be forced to call on them. I am not sure if we will be able to defeat these people without help." Aknankanon said.

"He's said that they will help." Heba said.

"You all need to get ready. You will be leaving tomorrow morning." Aknaudin said.

The group of nine nodded their heads.

"Oh, and we'll be taking the tigers with us. There's not telling if we might need their help." Heba said.

"A wise idea. One that I agree with." Aknankanon said wholeheartedly.

The nine then left the room.

* * *

"I didn't expect us to have to do this." Heba said as he and Atemu packed a few things that they would take with them.

"I know. It's an adventure, you have to admit that. I just wish that it wasn't for the reason that it has to be." Atemu said.

Heba nodded his agreement.

Atemu had thought about telling Heba what he had seen before between Yugi and Yami, but since he didn't know what was really going on, he decided that he would wait on telling Heba until he had talked to Yami about it, although it might be a while before he could talk to him about it.

* * *

Yami had finished packing his things and was now sitting on his bed.

'I wish that I could have had a longer time to be with Yugi. I want to be with him again so badly. I miss him.' Yami thought. He wiped away a tear that fell down his cheek.

Yami got up and walked out onto the balcony.

'I have to concentrate on this mission. I have to be ready. Egypt is at stake here.' Yami thought.

* * *

The following morning, the group was ready to leave. They were lead to a smaller plane that would carry them all.

"I know that's is small, but for your group, it will be better this way. The plane is a little faster, too.' Aknankanon said.

"We understand. Thank you." Heba said.

"Just be careful, and contact us a lot so that we know that you're okay. We don't want anything to happen to you." Aknankanon said.

"We will, Dad." Atemu assured him.

"Good. That's all that I wanted to know." Aknankanon said.

The group then boarded the plane to leave.

"Okay. I guess we're ready." Joey said.

Heba took his place at the pilot's seat, and Ryou sat beside him as Heba's copilot.

Everyone else sat down in a seat and buckled up.

Heba then started the plane, and it lifted off before Heba moved it forward.

They were starting their search for the Millennium items.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: The search for the Millennium items begins. The next eight chapters will center on finding the items. First up, the Millennium Ring.

R&R.


	10. The Millennium Ring

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10- The Millennium Ring

The plane that Heba and the others were on was pretty much flying blind since they had no idea where they were going.

Since the group had decided to met together to try to figure out where to go, Heba had put the plane on autopilot so that the group could discuss what they should do now.

The tigers remained asleep while they were discussing this.

"How are we supposed to find these things? All we know is that those eight items are spread out all over the world. They could be anywhere, and those Zordanians could have destroyed Egypt by the time that we find them!" Bakura said.

Ryou put a hand on Bakura's shoulder. "Calm down, Kura. Getting upset isn't going to help matters." Ryou told him.

"What do we do?" Malik asked from his position in Marik's lap.

Heba was looking through one of the books that Yugi had given them. "You do realize that although these books don't directly tell us where the items are, they do give us clues to each location of them." Heba said.

"It does?" Ryou asked.

Heba nodded. "Yeah. They're spread out all over, so we're just going to go down the list of them." Heba said.

"Okay. What does the first one say?" Atemu asked.

"Well, there's a paragraph about the first one. It says here that we can find the first item in a place that is covered completely in snow. It is on a mountain range with the highest peak in the world. The item can be found in the cave of the great snow beast on that highest point." Heba said.

"Where is that?" Bakura asked.

Seto rolled his eyes. "If you had bothered to do any study when we were learning geography, Bakura, you would know exactly what that is talking about." Seto said.

Atemu raised a hand. "Seto, no condescending remarks in a time like this. We have a lot riding on finding these items, now where exactly is it?" Atemu asked.

"The Himalayan Mountains in Tibet." Yami said before Seto could.

All eyes turned to him.

"What?" Yami asked, confused.

"How the hell did you know that?!" Seto exclaimed.

Yami rolled his eyes. "I'm a year behind all of you, remember. I was on a completely different schedule. I did well in my studies, so I know about that stuff." Yami answered.

"He's' right, though. The highest mountain peak in the world is Mount Everest, which is a part of the Himalayan Mountains." Seto confirmed.

"All right. I'll set the plane to head to the Himalayans." Heba said. He got up and headed back into the cockpit.

"Wonder what it means by the great snow beast." Joey said.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Please tell me that none of you are crazy enough to believe in that legend!" Bakura said.

"What legend?" Malik asked.

"You don't know?" Atemu asked.

"Até, we're not from this world. We don't know everything that you know about Earth. You're going to have to tell us." Heba said from where he was guiding the plane to the correct course.

"Oh. Sorry." Atemu said.

"What is it?" Ryou asked.

"Bakura's referring to the legend of the Abominable Snowman." Seto said.

"Abominable Snowman? What's that?" Joey asked.

"The legend states that the Abominable Snowman is a creature that is said by Himalayan tribesman to roam the mountains at night searching for victims. It's said to look like a bear, ape, or human. It has fur all over its body. It's called the yeti by the Himalayans. It's also called Sasquatch or Bigfoot." Seto explained.

"Does it exist?" Joey asked.

"Scientists and explores have searched for it, and they have found some evidence that it might exist, but there's nothing conclusive. Most just think that it's a myth, which it probably is." Atemu said.

"Why dismiss it so easily?" Malik asked.

"Because there is no scientific proof that such a thing exists. No one can prove it." Seto said bluntly.

"Just because you can't see something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist." Heba said.

"Name one thing like that?" Seto challenged.

"Air." Heba answered.

"What?" Seto said, incredulous.

"You can't see air, either, but you know that it exists." Heba pointed out.

"That's different." Seto said.

"How?" Heba asked.

"It has been proven." Seto said.

"Maybe, but you can't see it, and you don't really know if it's there or not. You shouldn't be so quick to say that something doesn't exist when you haven't seen something like that." Heba told him as he maneuvered the plane.

"Heba, do you believe in it?" Atemu asked.

"I don't know. I don't know enough about it to formulate an answer to that. I'm just not dismissing it as untrue at the moment." Heba said.

Seto snorted. "Believe what you want, but I don't have any intention of believing something that I can't see." Seto said.

"I will." Heba answered.

* * *

Aknankanon sat in the throne room with Amara and all the priests except for Mahado.

"I wonder how the boys are doing." Amara said.

"They haven't been gone that long. We know that this is going to take some time. We've given them a rather difficult mission." Aknankanon said.

"If anyone can pull this off, they can." Isis said.

"Yes. Let us just hope that they find the items in time for us to save the kingdom." Aknaudin said.

"If we win, it won't just be the kingdom that we are saving, brother." Aknankanon said.

"What do you mean, Pharaoh?" Shada asked.

"You read what was in that book Emperor Yugi sent us. That is the only thing we have to go by in this situation, and according to that book, these Zordanians want control of the universe, meaning that all of Earth is in danger as well. Should we end up victorious, we will have saved the entire universe from possible destruction." Aknankanon said.

None of them had thought about that and grew silent as the implications of their defeat finally hit them.

"We cannot afford to lose then." Karim said.

"Indeed." Aknankanon said.

The doors to the throne room were thrown open, and Mahado raced into the room.

"Pharaoh! We have a serious problem!" Mahado said hurriedly, forgetting all formalities.

For Mahado to forget formalities, it had to be serious.

"Mahado, what is it? What has happened?" Aknankanon asked as he stood up, worried that something had happened to one of the towns.

"There have been several towns on the outskirts of the kingdom that have been destroyed. From the few survivors that lived, I think that it might be the Zordanians who have done this." Mahado said.

Aknankanon's expression was grave. He had known that this was coming, but he hated to hear it. "Gather a group of soldiers together. We must be ready." Aknankanon said.

"If those books are true, then it would be pointless to try and fight them." Shada pointed out.

"I know that, Shada, but I can't stay here and do nothing while my people are attacked. I have to do something." Aknankanon said.

"We understand, Pharaoh." Mahado said.

Karim went with Mahado to gather together some soldiers to go against their enemy.

Aknankanon sat back down.

"What are you thinking?" Amara asked.

"I think that it is time to contact Emperor Yugi. I believe that we will need his aid to survive this madness." Aknankanon answered.

* * *

The plane finally arrived at the Himalayan Mountains.

Heba landed the plan in a clearing.

"Okay. Before we go out, we need to change." Atemu said.

"Why?" Joey asked.

"Because it is going to be very cold, Puppy. Trust me. If we don't wear something warmer, we are going to regret it." Seto said.

The group changed into long underwear and warm pants. They also put on parkas, gloves, and snowshoes.

"Okay. Now, we can go." Atemu said.

The group got out of the plane along with the tigers.

The moment that their feet hit the snow, they started to sink.

"Man. This is some deep snow." Joey said.

"It usually is. Come on." Bakura said.

The group then started to walk before they stopped.

"Um, where are we going exactly?" Marik asked.

"According to what we learned, we have to go to the highest peak here." Heba said.

"That's Mount Everest." Seto said.

"Where's that?" Ryou asked.

Yami looked up at the different mountain peaks that were around them. He studied each one before he pointed up. "There." Yami said.

The others looked to see that the point that Yami had shown them was rather high.

"We have to climb that!" Joey exclaimed.

"Apparently so." Atemu replied.

"Why didn't you just land the plane up there, Heba?" Joey asked.

"There's no place to land any higher to land, Joey. We're just going to have to do some climbing. It's not going to kill us." Heba said.

"What about us?" Lighteningstar asked.

Heba glanced back. "Sorry, guys, but I think that you're going to have to sit this one out." Heba said.

"We'll look and see if there is another way up." Waterstar said.

"Okay. You can try." Heba agreed.

The group walked to the edge and started to climb up while the tigers started to look around to see if there was another way up.

After a while of climbing, Bakura said, "How much further?"

"Look at it this way." Heba said as he reached up to grab another rock. "We're only about halfway up." Heba said.

"How can this take so long?!" Bakura growled rather loudly.

"Bakura! Stop yelling!" Seto hissed quietly.

"Why?" Bakura demanded loudly again.

The mountain started to shake.

"What the hell is that?!" Joey exclaimed.

"It's an avalanche!" Atemu shouted.

The group watched in horror as huge amounts of snow started to fall down toward them.

"The cave below us!" Heba shouted.

"We can't get there fast enough!" Yami shouted back.

Heba then brought his wings. "We can!" Heba said. He let go and stayed in the air. He grabbed a hold of Atemu and Yami.

Ryou brought out his own wings and grabbed hold of Bakura.

Malik brought out his wings and grabbed Marik by the arm.

Joey brought out his wings and grabbed a hold of Seto.

All four Millennials flew down with their passengers and flew into the cave.

The cave was rather small, and it was a tight fit for all of them, but the group forced themselves in so that no one would get caught in the avalanche.

The roar of the avalanche was loud, and the group was forced to cover their ears as the snow went past them.

Being in the cave was able to protect them enough that they were not caught in the avalanche. They remained squished together as the snow fell down past them until it was gone.

Heba and Joey, who were at the entrance to the cave, peered out and looked up.

"Well, I think that the snow is gone now." Heba said.

"Great. More climbing." Bakura said.

"Not anymore." Heba said.

"Why not?" Atemu asked.

"I think that I speak for everyone when I say that I don't want to take the chance of another avalanche. I think that we'll just fly up there." Heba said.

"That's great!" Bakura shouted.

Atemu and Seto slammed their hands over Bakura's mouth.

"Stop yelling!" Atemu hissed in a low voice.

"We don't need another avalanche." Seto added.

Bakura nodded his head, and the two uncovered Bakura's mouth.

"Come on." Heba said.

The four grabbed the Egyptians and flew up to the top of the mountain.

After landing safely on the ground, the four Millennials hid their wings again.

"Okay. Now what?" Bakura asked as he looked around.

"Well, we have to find a cave." Heba said.

"How are we supposed to find something like that?!" Bakura exclaimed.

"The old fashioned way." Atemu said.

"Looking." Yami added.

"Maybe we should spilt up. We could cover more ground that way." Seto said.

"I'm not sure of splitting up would be such a good idea given the situation that we are in." Atemu said doubtfully.

"Well, we have the communication devices from the Millennial Kingdom. We can keep in constant contact, and we can check in every ten minutes. If someone doesn't answer, everyone else will head over to that area and look for them." Heba said.

"It's a good idea." Marik said.

"All right. We'll split up." Heba agreed.

Heba, Yami, and Atemu would head out in one direction. Seto and Joey would take a different direction than them. Marik and Malik would also go in a completely separate direction. Bakura and Ryou would go off in the last direction.

* * *

Mahado and Karim were thrown back into a wall.

The Zordanians had managed to take down many of the soldiers as it was.

"I think that we are in a lot of trouble now." Karim said.

"I know. I think that we are going to need some help." Mahado said.

"But who can we turn to?" Karim asked.

A Zordanian walked up to them. "No one can help you now." a Zordanian said. He raised hiss word to strike them.

Mahado and Karim braced themselves for death.

The clanking sound of metal on metal met the two priests' ears, but they didn't feel the pain of the strike.

The two looked up and saw Yugi was standing in front of them.

Yugi rammed his shoulder into the Zordanian before he turned and kicked the Zordanian in the chest, throwing the Zordanian backwards.

There were other soldiers from the Millennial Kingdom, including the Knights and Dartz.

Yugi glanced back at Karim and Mahado. "Are you both all right?" Yugi asked.

"Yes, Emperor." Mahado said.

"Thank you." Karim added.

"Glad to help." Yugi answered.

The Zordanians decided to leave.

"I don't understand. Why did they run like that?" Mahado asked.

"Let us return to the palace. I will explain it then." Yugi said. He turned to the Knights and said, "Make sure that they are gone for the time being." Yugi said.

"Yes, Emperor." Timaeous said as Critias and Hermos nodded their agreement.

Yugi then headed back for the palace with Karim, Mahado, Dartz, the remaining Egyptian soldiers, and the Millennial soldiers.

* * *

After searching for some time, Heba, Atemu, and Yami found a cave.

"Do you think that this is it?" Atemu asked.

Heba looked over the cave. "It's the only one that we have come across. We can check it out." Heba said. He put a hand to the earpiece communicator and said, "Ryou? Joey? Malik? Do you read me?"

"_I'm here._" Joey said.

"_I read you._" Ryou said.

"_What's going on?"_Malik asked.

"I think we might have found the cave. Head over this way." Heba said. He then cut the connection.

"Now what?" Yami asked.

"We wait. We don't know what's going in there, and we need to be together for that." Heba said.

"Heba, do you believe in that Abominable Snowman legend?" Yami asked.

"I don't know yet, but that's not the reason. We don't know what kind of animals are around here, and I don't want to take any chances." Heba said.

The other two nodded, seeing the logic in it.

"Master!"

The three looked over to see the four tigers running up to them.

"Waterstar! You guys found a way up!" Heba exclaimed.

"Yep. There was an easier way." Lighteningstar said.

"Uh oh." Atemu said.

"What?" Heba asked, looking at his husband.

"Bakura's going to be pissed when he finds out that there was an easier way up here." Yami explained."THERE WAS AN EASIER WAY UP HERE!" Bakura shouted.

All three jumped and turned to see a very pissed Bakura.

"YOU MADE US CLIMB UP A MOUNTAIN AND NEARLY GET KILLED BY AN AVALANCHE AND THERE WAS AN EASIER WAY UP HERE THIS WHOLE TIME!" Bakura shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Bakura, we didn't know." Atemu said.

"THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE!" Bakura yelled.

"Bakura! Calm down! It's done, and there's nothing that we can do." Ryou scolded.

Soon, the others arrived.

"Let's go." Heba said.

The group walked into the cave.

"It's getting kind of dark." Marik said.

"That's why I brought this." Heba said, pulling out a high-powered flashlight and turning it on.

"Wow! That brighter than any flashlight I have ever seen!" Seto said, impressed.

"That's because this is from the Millennial Kingdom. I thought that we could make use of it." Heba answered.

The group continued on.

Waterstar, Lighteningstar, Earthstar, and Windstar all tensed.

"Prince Heba." Windstar said.

"What is it?" Heba asked.

The four tigers, who were in front, stopped and started growling.

"Something is here!" Earthstar growled.

"RRRRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!"

Something lunged out at them.

* * *

"I'm glad that you came to aid us. The treaty between us had not been finalized, so you have no true obligation to aid us." Aknankanon said.

"I'm glad to lend our help. As far as I am concerned, we already have a military alliance." Yugi said.

"Emperor Yugi, why did the Zordanians run like they did?" Mahado asked, curious.

"As you already know, the Zordanians can defeat anyone by channeling their magic to make their attacks more powerful. Well, it takes more magic to defeat us because we are Millennials, and they didn't want to have to use all that magic, at least not now." Yugi said.

"That will help." Amara said.

"Only so much. Once they start using that tactic on us, we're going to be in trouble." Yugi said.

"The extra help is appreciated, though." Aknaudin said.

"Emperor, what now?" Dartz asked.

"Dartz, I'm leaving you in charge of our forces here. You'll plan things with the Pharaoh." Yugi said.

"Are you not staying?" Isis asked.

"He can't remain here, Isis. He has to worry about his kingdom." Aknankanon said.

"If my aid is needed, I will come, but for now, I will leave things in Dartz's hands." Yugi said.

Aknankanon nodded his understanding.

* * *

Heba and the others moved back as the creature went at them.

The creature had reddish hair as well as some black.

"What is that?!" Seto exclaimed.

"I believe that you call it the Abominable Snowman." Heba answered.

The Abominable Snowman lunged forward, but Waterstar launched himself at it. He latched his teeth into the Abominable Snowman. The beast roared in pain and swung his arm around, but Waterstar kept his grip.

Lighteningstar jumped at the beast from behind and dug his claws into the beast's back before latching onto its neck.

Earthstar lunged at it and bit into the beast's leg.

Windstar jumped at it and latched onto the other arm.

"They've got him!" Joey shouted.

Unrepentantly, the Abominable Snowman threw the four tigers off of him and into the cave wall.

"Or not." Marik said.

Heba pulled out his sword and went forward.

"Heba!" Atemu exclaimed.

The Abominable Snowman turned his attention to Heba. He went at Heba. Heba ducked as the beast struck out with his claws, and Heba went forward at the beast. He brought his sword across, but barely nicked the beast. The beast swung out an arm and hit Heba, slamming Heba into the cave wall.

"Master!" Waterstar shouted, running in front of Heba.

Suddenly, the beast stopped before dropping to its knees.

"Uh, what's going on?" Marik asked.

"No idea." Joey said, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Forgive me, Prince. I was not aware that it was you." the beast said.

Bea blinked. "What?" Heba asked.

"I did not realize that you were a Prince of the Millennial Kingdom. You are, aren't you?" the beast asked.

Heba stood up. "Yes. I am Prince Heba. Why?" Heba asked.

"I am known as Kayuk. Emperor Strata gave me one of the Millennium items, giving me order to protect it." Kayuk answered.

"So, you're from the Millennial Kingdom?" Heba asked.

"Yes." Kayuk said, standing up.

"Where is the item?" Atemu asked.

Kayuk looked uneasily at them.

"They are with me. We need that item. The Zordanians have returned. We need the power of the items to save everything." Heba explained.

"I see. I will be right back." Kayuk said before going further into the cave.

"Can we trust him or it?" Marik asked.

"I don't see where we have a choice." Bakura replied.

Soon, Kayuk returned. "Here." Kayuk said, handing Heba the gold box.

"Thanks you." Heba said.

"Of course. I wish you well in your battle against the Zordanians." Kayuk said.

"Can I ask you something?" Seto asked.

"What's that?" Kayuk asked.

"Are you really the abominable snowman?" Seto asked.

Kayuk growled. "I hate that name! I wish that these people hadn't named me that!" Kayuk growled.

"Sorry." Seto said.

"No worries. I am that creature, but keep that to yourself. I don't want people to come here hunting me." Kayuk said.

"We will." Heba said.

The group then left the cave.

"Can we take the easy way down this time?" Marik asked.

"I agree." Heba said.

The group then headed down the path that the tigers had taken to get to the top.

* * *

Once at the bottom, the group headed back into the plane.

All of them changed into their normal clothing.

"Okay. So, what's in this box?" Bakura asked.

Heba had set the box on the table in the plane.

"We can find out now." Marik said.

Heba unlocked the box and opened it to reveal the Millennium Ring.

"Which one is this?" Seto asked.

Ryou got out the book and opened it. "It's called the Millennium Ring. It's the one that can sense good and evil around them." Ryou said.

"So, how do we use it?" Bakura asked.

"It says here that it chooses it's owner. Only that person can use the power of the ring." Ryou said.

"How do we know who the owner is?" Atemu asked.

"It says that the ring will glow when its true owner touches it." Ryou said, reaching from the book.

"That could be just about anyone in the world." Seto said.

"Well, we have to figure out a way to find the owner. Without that person, we may never be able to defeat these Zordanians." Yami said.

"What do you expect? That someone will pick up the ring and it starts to glow?" Bakura asked as he picked up the ring to prove his point.

The Millennium Ring started to glow.

"Actually, yes." Atemu said, smirking.

"No way! How could that have happened?!" Bakura exclaimed.

"It chooses its owner, Bakura. It means that it chose you to be its owner." Heba said.

"I don't know the first thing about it, though." Bakura said.

"You can learn, though. You've never had a problem with learning something new." Ryou said.

"Maybe, but this is a little different." Bakura said.

"Bakura, the fate of the world is relying on this." Atemu said.

"Fine." Bakura said as he put the ring around his neck.

"Good. Now that that's settled, I think that we had better get going." Heba said.

Heba and Ryou got into the pilot and copilot's seats so that they could fly the plane out of there.

Everyone else sat won in a seat and buckled up.

Heba then started the plane, and the plane started to lift off the ground.

Once at a steady altitude, Heba flew the plane away from the Himalayan mountains.

The group had managed to find the first of the Millennium items, but they still had to find seven more items. Their adventure had only begun.

* * *

Hope you liked it. The information I found on the Himalayas and the Abominable Snowmen was from the Grolier Encyclopedia set I have at home. It's an older version, so I don't know if the information has changed.

Next: The Millennium Necklace.

R&R.


	11. The Millennium Necklace

Here's the next chapter.

Some information about the places I use might be off because I tweak it a bit to suit my story. Just letting you know for future chapters, just in case.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 11- The Millennium Necklace

Once more, the group had started to fly off to their next destination.

"Okay. So, where do we go from here?" Yami asked.

"We'll have to look." Ryou said. He got out the book and flipped through it to where all the clues were listed.

"Well, if it's anything like getting this," Bakura said, holding up the ring that was around his neck, "then this mission is going to be easier to complete than we thought."

"I wouldn't count on it, Bakura." Heba said from his position behind the controls of the plane.

"Why's that, Heba?" Atemu asked as he turned to look at his husband.

"Just because getting the ring was easy doesn't mean that the others will be easy. We might run into some tougher battles to win. We can't just assume that this is going to be a piece of cake." Heba explained.

"He makes a good point. The moment that we assume that this will be easy is when we are going to be in deeper trouble than we already are." Seto said.

"You changed your tune fast." Yami said.

Seto glared at him. "What does that mean?" Seto demanded.

"Before, you were skeptical of what Heba thought." Yami answered.

"Well, let's just say I changed my viewpoint." Seto said.

"Yeah. After you saw the Abominable Snowman with your own eyes." Marik added.

"He has a name, Marik." Heba said.

"Yeah. Kayuk seems to hate being seen as the Abominable Snowman or those other names that people call him." Malik added.

"Um, guys." Ryou said.

All eyes turned to him.

"I just though that you might like to know that I've found the page about where the next item is located." Ryou said, holding up the book.

"What does it say?" Atemu asked.

Ryou took the book and started to read it. "A large place of trees located in the middle of the large landmass is the next key. The great river flows and is widest at the long mountain range. Insects, plants, and animals rule this place. Only two seasons exist, the rainy and dry seasons. The great beasts roam the land and the giant snake guards the necklace." Ryou said as he read the section on the item.

"Okay. What the hell does that mean?" Bakura asked.

"It's telling us where to look. Not as clear as the last one, but it's about all that we have." Heba said.

"Okay. I don't have a clue." Bakura said.

"Bakura, you flanked all your studies. I know that you don't know." Seto said.

"All right, Einstein. What do you think it means?" Marik asked, looking at Seto.

"I'm not sure, but it sounds like it might be some kind of rainforest." Seto answered.

"How did you come up with that?" Joey asked.

"It mentioned rainy and dry seasons, which is something that is most closely related to rainforests. Plus, it mentioned a great river, and most rainforests have rivers." Seto said.

"Can you narrow it down given that there are a lot of rainforest on Earth?" Yami asked.

Seto sighed. "That is one thing that I don't think I can do. I have no idea how to narrow it down to exactly which rainforest is referring to." Seto answered, not wanting to make a guess only to end up being wrong.

"Hey. Isn't there some kind of computer program that you can use to maybe narrow it down?" Joey asked.

"Puppy, that's a great idea!" Seto said as he pulled out his laptop that he had brought along just in case they needed it.

"Maybe it'll help us in some way." Malik remarked.

Seto brought the program up. "Okay. We already know that it is a rainforest we are looking for, but what else do we know?" Seto asked.

"Well, it says that there are a lot of insects, plants, and animals." Atemu said.

Seto input the information. "It didn't narrow it down enough." Seto said.

"Okay. What else?" Marik asked.

"We know that it's a very large rainforest." Yami said.

Seto added in the information. "It's narrowed it down again, but not enough." Seto said.

"The mountain range." Heba said.

"What?" Malik asked.

"It said that the river is widest at the long mountain range." Heba answered.

Seto input that information as well. "I've got it. The Amazon rainforest is where we need to go." Seto said.

"Are you sure?" Atemu asked.

"Yeah. It says that it has 2.5 million insects, tens of thousands of plants, and over 2,000 birds and mammals. It's one of the most diverse rainforests there are." Seto answered.

"What about a mountain range?" Windstar asked.

"The Andes Mountains is the longest mountain range in the world. The Amazon River, the second largest river in the world, is widest at the bottom of the Andes Mountains. That has to be it." Seto said.

"Sounds like it. I guess we're heading there." Malik said.

Heba changed course and started to head the plane in the direction of the Amazon Rainforest.

"Just out of curiosity, what did is mean by great beasts and giant snake?" Joey asked.

"Unfortunately, the Amazon Rainforest is known for a lot of predators. There's no telling what we're going to come across." Atemu answered.

"Great." Joey muttered.

"Come on. You've got us." Earthstar said.

"You were beaten by Kayuk." Malik said.

"We did the best that we could!" Lighteningstar snapped.

"Calm down. We're going to be spending a lot of time together, so we need to stay on good terms. You four are going to have to help out. Your senses are going to help us out a lot in this situation." Heba said.

The four tigers nodded their understanding.

"I wonder what the next item is that we're going to be finding." Joey said.

"It doesn't specify in the book." Ryou answered.

"We'll find out when he get it, Joey." Heba said.

* * *

Aknankanon was standing on the balcony at the throne room with Dartz.

"It's odd that it's been several days since the last attack." Aknankanon said as he looked out across his kingdom.

"The Zordanians know that we are here. They do not want to waste their magic at the moment." Dartz replied.

"What will they wait for?" Aknankanon asked.

"I cannot say for certain, Pharaoh, but if I had to guess, I would say that they are waiting until their magic is strong enough to defeat us as well." Dartz said.

"I pray that my people are not forced to suffer too much." Aknankanon said.

Dartz looked over at Aknankanon and could see the same worry and fear for his people that Yugi held for his own. "This is a possible war, Pharaoh. We all know that there are casualties in war. It is one of the sad truths that all would like to avoid if at all possible." Dartz told him.

"Yes. I know. I only hope that Atemu and the others are able to find these Millennium items in time." Aknankanon said.

"They are a group of smart, resourceful young men. I have a feeling that they will be able to find the items without trouble." Dartz said.

"You don't know Marik and Bakura as well as I do. They are trouble." Aknankanon said.

"I'm sure that we will be fine. They can do this." Dartz said.

"I only hope that these items will do what that legend says and save us." Aknankanon said.

'I hope that as well. I do not think that we will survive this if these items do not do what we think they will do.' Dartz said.

"Where are the Knights?" Aknankanon asked. He realized that he had not seen them all day.

"They decided to patrol the kingdom to make sire that the Zordanians weren't trying anything." Dartz answered.

"A smart idea. We don't know who these Zordanians are. I don't like the thought, but there are some of my own people who may be a part of them." Aknankanon said.

"That's why they chose to do that." Dartz answered.

* * *

"We're getting close to the Amazon Rainforest." Heba said.

"That's great!" Joey said.

"There is just one problem." Heba said.

"What's that?" Atemu asked.

"I don't see where I can land in the rainforest, so we're going to have to land outside of it." Heba answered.

"Meaning we have to do a lot of walking." Yami translated.

"Exactly." Heba said.

"Great. Just what we wanted to do." Malik said.

"Why don't we just sue our wings and fly over?" Joey asked.

"Because we don't have a clue where to start." Heba answered.

Heba then landed the plane on the outskirts of the rainforest.

"It's rather hot and humid here, so I suggest shorts and T-shirts. Tank tops would probably be better for us." Seto said.

"All right. I guess we change again." Malik said.

The group then changed into the proper clothing.

Windstar chuckled. "That's the good thing about being a tiger. We don't have to worry about things like that." Windstar said.

"Come on. Let's get going." Heba said.

The group got off of the plane and started to walk into the forest.

"It's so beautiful and peaceful out here." Ryou remarked as they walked through the trees.

"Yeah, and the trees are really high." Malik added.

"Some of the trees are up to 200 feet high." Yami said.

"Huh. There's no sunlight here." Heba said.

"There is sunlight, but most of it hits the canopy of the trees." Seto replied.

There were some birds that were flying around.

"The birds are beautiful." Ryou said.

"Yeah. Just about everything in this is that way." Yami said.

"Everyone, we need to focus. We have to find that item as fast as possible." Atemu said.

"Well, it mentioned a great river, which I'm assuming is the Amazon River." Heba said.

"Most likely. We should probably head to where the river is at the Andes Mountain range as well." Seto said.

"Which way?" Marik asked.

Seto used a portal GPS unit that he had brought. "This way." Seto said.

The group started forward only to be stopped by the tigers.

All four tigers were growling, and they were crouching down in a defensive position.

"What's wrong?" Heba asked.

The four tigers didn't answer.

Suddenly, Lighteningstar lunged forward and tackled an animal to the ground. The animal threw Lighteningstar back and got up, growling and crouching.

"What is that?!" Malik exclaimed.

"It's a Jaguar!" Seto said.

"What's that?" Joey asked.

"It's a big wildcat, and we'll leave it at that." Seto said.

Waterstar started forward to help Lighteningstar.

"No! Leave this overgrown cat to me!" Lighteningstar growled.

The jaguar lunged at Lighteningstar and latched onto his neck. Lighteningstar howled before throwing himself forward and slamming the jaguar into a tree. The jaguar jumped forward and landed behind Lighteningstar. The cat raised his paw and brought it down at Lighteningstar. Lighteningstar moved out of his way.

"Shouldn't you help him?" Marik asked.

"No. Lighteningstar wants to do this alone, and he would never forgive us if we tried to help him. Besides, I know that Lighteningstar will be all right on his own." Waterstar said.

Lighteningstar jumped up and went down at the jaguar. The jaguar jumped up at Lighteningstar, and the two felines grabbed hold of each other. The two went rolling across the ground before they both got up and started circling each other, growling at the same time. The two the jumped at each other. The jaguar struck out with his paw and hit Lighteningstar in the face. Lighteningstar growled and lunged at the jaguar. Once more, the two went rolling. Lighteningstar jumped up and struck out with his claws, hitting the jaguar in the neck. Lighteningstar then latched onto the jaguar's neck. The jaguar howled in pain. Before long, Lighteningstar let go of the jaguar, and it fell to the ground, unconscious.

Lighteningstar panted as he tried to catch his breath from the fight.

"Lighteningstar, are you okay?!" Malik asked as he ran over and knelt beside the tiger.

"I'm fine, Master." Lighteningstar said as Malik petted his head.

"Nicely done." Earthstar said, looking down at the jaguar.

"Is it dead?" Yami asked.

"No. I didn't kill it. It's just unconscious. I couldn't kill something that was only acting on natural instincts." Lighteningstar answered.

"We understand. Come on. Let's get going before we get caught by something else." Atemu said.

The group then continued on through the rainforest as they looked for the next Millennium item.

Before long, the group finally found themselves at the river.

"Whoa! That's a big river!" Joey exclaimed.

"The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world. The Nile is the longest. It's a very big river." Seto said.

"Over there!" Atemu said, pointing.

The group looked to see the Andes Mountain Range on the other side of the river.

"Well, at least we finally found it." Bakura grumbled.

"Come on. The river is shallow enough right here that we can cross by walking through the water." Joey said as he stepped out into the water.

"Joey! Get your ass out of the water right now!" Seto shouted.

"Why?" Joey asked, turning to look at him.

Heba noticed something swimming through the water. "Joey, look out!" Heba shouted.

Before Joey could react, something wrapped around Joey's leg, and Joey felt an electrical shock going through him. "AAAAHHHH!" Joey shouted.

"JOEY!" Seto screamed.

Heba darted out into the water. He ran over to Joey. Pulling out a dagger, Heba rammed the dagger into what had wrapped around Joey before he grabbed Joey by the arm and ran back to the others, getting out of the water before anything else could happen to them.

Joey dropped to the ground, dazed.

"Puppy! Are you okay?" Seto asked, dropping down beside him.

"What was that?" Joey asked as he shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

"Probably an electric eel. The Amazon River is known for them." Yami said.

"Electric eels?! Why didn't someone say something?!" Joey exclaimed.

"Because you wouldn't listen and were already out in the middle of the water before anyone could say something." Seto answered.

"Anything else we should worry about?" Heba asked.

"The Amazon is known for Piranhas, too." Seto said.

"What are those?" Malik asked.

"Piranhas are small fish that have sharp teeth. They're dangerous when they attack in groups, and that's how they usually travel." Seto said.

"We need to avoid the water at all costs." Heba said.

"How do we get across then?" Bakura asked.

"How about that?" Marik asked, pointing to where there were large rocks in the middle of the water that stuck up and were spaced apart.

"If we're careful, that could get us across." Seto said.

"All right. That's how we're going to go get across. We just need to be careful since the rocks are probably slippery." Heba said.

One by one, the group started across the rocks.

"This will be fun." Earthstar muttered as he started across the rocks.

"Come on, Earthstar! Speed it up!" Joey shouted from across the river since he was already on the other side.

Earthstar growled. "I have to fit four feet on the rocks, not two! It's a little harder, Master!" Earthstar shouted.

Finally, Earthstar made it across to where Joey, Seto, Bakura, and Ryou already were.

Marik crossed next, followed by Malik who was following by Lighteningstar.

Like Earthstar, it took Lighteningstar a little longer to get across the rocks.

Atemu went next across followed by Heba. Windstar went across after Heba.

Yami and Waterstar were the last ones to go across.

"Go on, Prince Yami. I'll go last." Waterstar said.

"All right." Yami agreed. He then started across.

"Could you hurry up?! We have a lot that we need to do before we're all seventy!" Bakura shouted to Yami, growing impatient.

"Bakura, will you shut UUUPPP?!" Yami screamed as he lost his footing and went toppling into the water.

"Yami!" Atemu exclaimed.

Yami surfaced, completely soaked. "Thanks a lot, Bakura!" Yami growled.

Bakura started laughing along with Marik.

Yami groaned. 'Sometimes, I hate them.' Yami thought.

Waterstar looked out across the water, and his eyes widened.

A group of fish was making their way to where Yami was.

Fearing they might be Piranhas, Waterstar darted out across the water to where Yami was. "Get on my, Yami!" Waterstar ordered.

"Why?" Yami asked.

"Hurry!" Waterstar snapped.

Sensing that he was desperate, Yami stood up.

Seeing the fish getting closer, Waterstar forced Yami on his back before running across.

"Piranhas!" Seto exclaimed, seeing the fish.

Yami held on tightly now that he knew why Waterstar had been so frantic.

Unfortunately, the fish caught up to them, and one managed to bit Waterstar's foot.

Waterstar howled in pain as he reached the shore. He jumped up on the shore.

Yami got off of him. "Thanks, Waterstar" Yami said.

"Your foot." Lighteningstar said, seeing Waterstar's foot bleeding.

Waterstar winced. "That hurt. I know now why you wanted to avoid the Piranhas." Waterstar said.

"Here." Heba said. He ripped a part of his shirt before he carefully wrapped it around Waterstar's foot.

"Thanks." Waterstar said.

"I'm glad you saw them. I didn't." Yami said.

"I know. That's why I did what I did." Waterstar said.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had kept your big mouth shut, Bakura!" Atemu snapped.

"How was I supposed to know that would happen?" Bakura asked.

"Let's forget it for now. There are a few things that we have to do that are more important that this right now." Seto said.

The group then continued on walking in search of the next Millennium item, although Waterstar had a slight limp now.

* * *

Yugi was busy in his office. "There has to be another way." Yugi muttered.

Firestar watched his master a little worriedly. "Master, are you all right?" Firestar asked.

Yugi sighed. "I was trying to figure out another way to defeat the Zordanians, but there doesn't seem to be one." Yugi said.

"The Millennium items are the only way known to defeat them." Firestar said.

"I know, Firestar. I just was hoping there would be another way." Yugi said.

"Are you going to join them in the battle?" Firestar asked.

"Yes. I will aid Egypt in this mess. If an all-out assault happens to occur, I am going to help them, and I trust that you are going to go with me and help them as well." Yugi said.

"Of course. I will help them as well." Firestar agreed.

* * *

"Finally!" Bakura said as they reached the base of the Andes Mountain Range.

"Okay. What are we looking for now?" Marik asked.

"It said that the giant snake guards the necklace." Ryou said.

Something occurred to Yami. "Um, Seto." Yami said.

"What?" Seto asked, turning to look at his cousin.

"Do you think that the giant snake could be referring to an anaconda?" Yami asked.

Seto frowned. "Maybe." Seto said.

"What's an anaconda?" Malik asked.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake.

"What on Earth?!" Atemu exclaimed.

From the water, a giant snake arose and looked down at them, flicking it's long tongue at them with a hissing sound.

"That's an anaconda, Malik." Seto said.

"Oh." Malik said.

The anaconda raised it's tail and flung it at the group.

Everyone barely managed to get out of the way in time.

Joey took out his sun and brought hiss word down at the snake, hitting it in the side of its long body.

The snake hissed before lifting it's tail and hitting Joey, throwing Joey into the ground.

"MASTER!" Earthstar shouted as he ran forward and jumped at the snake, latching onto the tail.

The anaconda hissed loudly as it flung it's tail back and forth before throwing Earthstar off of him.

Ryou and Malik both ran at the snake with their swords drawn. Before they could even reach the anaconda, it's tail hit them and threw them into the ground as well.

"Seto, what's the best way to kill this thing?" Heba asked as he drew his sword.

"Best chance would be to cut off its head." Seto said.

"Windstar. Lighteningstar. I'll need your help. Waterstar, stay back." Heba said.

"Why do I have to stay back?" Waterstar asked.

"Because your paw is injured." Heba answered before he ran forward with the two tigers following him.

The anaconda saw Heba and flung its tail at Heba, but Heba jumped up and used the snake's tail as leverage before jumping up at the snake. Heba tried to strike the snake in the head, but the anaconda ducked his head and hit Heba. Heba flipped and landed on his feet.

Lighteningstar and Windstar both lunged at the anaconda. Lighteningstar clamped his teeth on the snake's tail and dug his claws into the snake as well. Windstar had jumped up high and latched his teeth into the neck and his claws in the neck as well. The anaconda tried to throw the two tigers off, but couldn't.

Heba, seeing that the anaconda was distracted, ran forward and jumped up, bringing his sword across. He severed the anaconda's head from its body above where Windstar was.

The two tigers jumped back as the snake fell.

Heba landed on the ground.

"Wow! Nicely done, Heba!" Joey said.

"I'm just glad that that's over." Heba said.

"How do we find the item now?" Atemu asked.

Suddenly, the Millennium Ring started to glow and the points at the bottom pointed to a cave.

"What's with it?" Bakura asked.

"I think it's showing us where the item is." Heba said as they walked to the cave.

"I don't think that's possible." Marik said as they looked around.

"Really?" Malik asked as he picked up the gold box.

"Okay. Maybe I'm wrong." Marik said.

The group left the cave.

"Well, open it!" Marik said impatiently.

"We'll open it on the plane." Heba said.

"We have to walk all that way back!" Bakura exclaimed.

"Yes." Heba said.

Bakura groaned.

"Come on. Let's go." Ryou said as he grabbed Bakura's arm.

The group then headed back to the plane.

* * *

Aknankanon looked out from the balcony of his room.

"Are you all right?" Amara asked as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around her husband.

"I'm just worried about the boys." Aknankanon said.

"I'm sure that they're fine. We raised them right, and we know that they are resourceful and smart. Besides, Heba and the others have powers that can help them." Amara said.

"I know." Aknankanon said.

Amara kissed him lightly. "I'm worried about them, too, but we have to trust them to be safe." Amara said.

"I know, Amara, and I know that they will be fine." Aknankanon told her.

* * *

Once back at the plane, the group changed back into their regular clothes, and Heba tended to Waterstar's foot.

"All right. Let's open this thing." Marik said.

Ryou opened the box to find the Millennium Necklace inside the box.

"What's this one?" Atemu asked.

"It's called the Millennium Necklace." Joey said as he looked in the book. "According to this, it gives the owner the ability to see into the past and the future." Joey finished.

"Hmm. Think one of us is the owner?" Atemu asked.

"I don't know." Heba said.

Each person in the group picked it up, but nothing happened.

"I guess none of us are the owner." Yami said.

"Well, we'll save it for later then." Ryou said, closing the box once more.

"We should get going. We still have six to go." Heba said.

The group returned to their seats, and Heba lifted the plane, leaving the Amazon Rainforest.

* * *

Hope you liked it. The sources I used for finding information on the Amazon Rainforest was the Grolier encyclopedias I have as well as a few internet sources.

Next: The Millennium Scales.

R&R.


	12. The Millennium Scales

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 12- The Millennium Scales

The plane was flying through the air.

"So, where do we go to next?" Seto asked.

There was a sudden beeping sound.

"What is that?" Joey asked.

"I think that that would be the communications system." Seto answered.

Since Ryou was the closest to it, he answered the call, bringing up the image of the caller on the screen.

It was Aknankanon.

"Dad, is everything all right?" Atemu asked as everyone gathered around it except for Heba, who was flying the plane.

"For now, yes. I wanted to see how things were going with all of you." Aknankanon answered.

"They're fine so far. We've managed to find two of the items." Yami answered.

"That's good to know. I've been wondering how you have been coming along in this." Aknankanon said.

"There's been no trouble so far." Atemu said.

"How are things back home?" Bakura asked.

Aknankanon sighed. "They could be better. Emperor Yugi came to aid us in a battle. Lord Dartz, the Knights, and several other Millennial soldiers have remained in the kingdom to help if another attack comes any time soon." Aknankanon said.

"We'll try to find the other items as fast as we can." Atemu told him.

"I know you will. Just be careful." Aknankanon said.

"We will, Dad." Atemu assured him.

The connection was then cut.

"I think that we need to speed this mission up. We may not have a whole lot of time before these Zordanians make their next attack." Bakura said.

"We can only go fast, Bakura. You know that." Ryou said.

"Maybe, but it doesn't sound like home is doing so well at the moment." Bakura said.

"Could I make a suggestion?" Heba asked.

All eyes turned to where Heba was in the cockpit.

"If you really want to get this mission done as fast as possible, then we need to go ahead and figure out where the next time is located so that we can go there and retrieve it." Heba told them.

Joey grabbed the book. "I guess you're right, Yugi." Joey agreed.

"I just hope that this one will be as easy as the first one was." Seto muttered.

"Don't want to go through what we went through with the snake?" Marik asked.

"No." Seto answered.

"Why are you saying that? You didn't do anything in that. _We _were the ones that were putting our lives on the line to find that item." Joey said.

"And you did so well with that." Bakura said sarcastically.

"Watch it, Bakura! We might just leave this one to you and not lift a finger to help you at all." Malik snapped.

"We could probably do a better job than you guys have!" Bakura shot back.

"I highly doubt that!" Malik retorted as he crossed his arms.

"All right! Enough of this!" Atemu said loudly as he slammed his fist down onto the table.

Everyone jumped.

"This isn't the time for this. Forget who does what. We are a team, and we have to work together to do this." Atemu said.

"He's right. The Zordanians will win if we let ourselves fight against each other. We all may have differencing views, but that doesn't change the fact that we are fighting for a similar reason." Yami said.

"The same reason." Heba put in.

"So knock it off. We have to work together." Atemu said.

"Don't worry about anything that Malik and Bakura say to each other. Half the time, they just do this to aggravate each other." Ryou said.

"Guys." Earthstar said.

All eyes turned to the green tiger.

"Master has found the next one." Earthstar said.

"Well, what does the clue to this one say, Joey?" Heba asked.

Joey looked at the passage. "It says that the area that is made up of coral, reefs, and shoals house this item. One of the largest in the world. It is built into strange and beautiful formations. Between this place and the shore lies a shallow lagoon with hundreds of islands. Colored fish, shells, and giant clam surround this place. A water serpent guards the item." Joey said.

"Okay. What the hell does that mean?" Joey asked.

Yami tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It sounds like it's referring to some kind of coral reef." Yami said.

"That would make sense." Heba agreed.

"Okay. We know what we're looking for, but we need to narrow it down somehow." Bakura said.

"Yeah. There's a bunch of coral reeves in the world." Marik added.

"Well, I'm surprised that you two know that." Seto sand sarcastically.

Bakura glared at him. "We did pay attention from time to time." Bakura said.

Ryou shook his head. "Any idea what it's talking about?" Ryou asked.

"Well, I think that lagoon might be one of the key things in this." Bakura said.

Seto used his laptop and input the information into the same computer program that he had used before. "Well, it narrowed it down, but not enough." Seto said.

"Seto, try putting in everything that it says it is made up of." Heba said.

Seto did just that. "There are still several possibilities." Seto said.

"What's the largest coral reef then? It said that it was one of the largest in the world." Heba pointed out.

Seto added in that bit of information. "Hey! That did it! It's talking about the Great Barrier Reef!" Seto said.

"The Great Barrier Reef? Isn't that in Australia?" Heba asked.

"Yeah. We need to head to Queensland, Australia." Seto said.

"Why there?" Joey asked.

"The Great Barrier Reef is located off of the eastern coast of Queensland." Yami answered.

Heba input the coordinates for Queensland, and the plane started in that direction.

"I just wonder what it meant by the serpent guards the item." Joey said as he looked at the book again.

"Please. It's not like the Loch Ness Monster exists." Seto said.

"Loch Ness Monster?" Ryou asked.

"It's a mysterious, legendary beast that is said to live in Loch Ness, which is a lake in Scotland. There have been some sightings of it by people, but like with the Abominable Snowman, or Kayuk as we know him now, it's mostly believed to be a myth. The belief in it goes back to the Middle Ages." Atemu explained.

"After seeing Kayuk with your own eyes, you doubt the existence of this creature?" Heba asked.

"Sorry, but I'd rather have proof." Seto answered.

"Why did you have such an easy time with a bunch of talking tigers, then?" Lighteningstar asked.

"Because I have heard you talk with my own eyes." Seto answered.

Heba shook his head. "You know, one of these days, you are going to have to stop being so skeptical about everything that is believed to be myth, Seto." Heba said.

"I'll believe it exists when I see that serpent at the Great Barrier Reef." Seto said.

"Well, we've seen the Abominable Snowman-" Marik stopped at Malik's glare. "I mean, Kayuk." Marik said quickly, correcting himself. "We also ran into the anaconda that the book mentioned. "I'd say that the chances are good that we'll end up finding ourselves face-to-face with some kind of serpent." Marik said.

Seto snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it." Seto said.

* * *

Aknankanon was in his office with Aknaudin.

"So, they have found two of the items?" Aknaudin asked.

"That's what they told me, and they didn't have any reason to lie about that." Aknankanon answered.

"Did they say if they had any trouble retrieving the items from where they were hidden?" Aknaudin asked.

"They didn't mention anything, but I'm certain that they have had some trouble. I'm sure that they just didn't want me to worry." Aknankanon said.

"Do you think that they will succeed?" Aknaudin asked.

"Given that they have already managed to get two, I have no doubt that they will manage to get the others as well." Aknankanon said.

"Well, it would seem that this legend about these Millennium items is true if they have already found two of them." Aknaudin remarked as he leaned back in his chair.

"True, but the real thing is whether or not they can help us in our plight." Aknankanon said.

"I know what you mean. We are placing a lot of faith in these items." Aknaudin said.

"We have no other choice. We have no other alternative, but to trust that these items will be able to aid us in our battle against these Zordanians." Aknankanon said.

Aknaudin knew what his brother was talking about.

If the Millennium items were not able to help them in defeating their new enemy, then they were truly screwed.

* * *

Heba flew the plane over the Great Barrier Reef.

"Wow! Look at that!" Joey said as he looked down at the reef from the plane.

The reef was visible from the plane, and the group could see the reef down below them.

"It's a spectacular sight. Tourists from all over the world come here to see this." Atemu said.

"I've never seen anything like it. There must be all sorts of scientific study going on surrounding this." Ryou remarked.

"There is." Yami answered.

"Well, we have a bit of a problem." Heba said.

"What's that?" Bakura asked.

"There is no where to land that is close by the reef. The only way would be if I landed the plane on the water." Heba said.

"That's not going to work in this kind of a plane." Seto said.

"I know. We're going to have to rent a boat of some sort to get out to the reef." Heba said.

"Well, we'll just have to do that then." Yami said.

Heba then turned the plane and flew toward the shore. He then landed the plane in what appeared to be a rather smooth strip of land.

However, it proved to be a rocky strip of land as the plane bounced as it slowed down to a stop.

"Geez! A smoother landing would have been nice!" Bakura growled as he rubbed the top of his head.

Heba turned back and glared at him. "Sorry, Bakura, but there is no way for _any_pilot to land smoothly in a situation like this!" Heba said.

"Come on. We have work that we need to do." Atemu said.

Everyone got off of the plane and looked out at where the reef was.

"So, where do we go to get a boat?" Bakura asked.

"I'm not sure that we can." Seto said.

The group looked around and realized that they were the only ones around.

"I'm beginning to get the feeling that something is up." Marik remarked as they realized that they were alone.

"Over there." Atemu said.

Everyone looked to see that Atemu was pointing at a beach.

'We can use the beach access to get to the water and swim out to the reef." Heba said.

"What about us?" Waterstar asked.

Heba reached down and petted Waterstar's head. "Sorry, boy, but I think that you guys are going to have to sit this one out." Heba said.

Lighteningstar groaned. "That's not fun." Lighteningstar whined.

"Well, you're just going to have to deal with it then." Heba said.

The group started to walk forward.

The tigers, however, sensed something and ran out in front of them.

"What are you guys doing?" Marik asked.

"Heba told you that you can't come with us." Joey added in.

"Something is out there." Windstar said.

Seto rolled his eyes. "There are fish and other water life out there. That's probably what you sense." Seto said.

The tigers were tense as they started growling.

"Seto, they can tell the difference between normal water life and something that is dangerous. Whatever is out there is dangerous." Heba said as he reached for the hilt of his sword.

Suddenly, water was flown up into the air before it went down at them.

"AAAAHHHH!" everyone, human and tiger alike, shouted as the water crashed into them.

Despite being on a cliff, the group was thrown backwards and crashed into the ground, completely soaked.

"What the bloody hell was that about?!" Bakura shouted as he pushed his soaking wet hair out of his eyes.

Malik looked up and his eyes widened. "Uh, guys." Malik said.

Everyone looked at Malik.

Malik just pointed up.

Everyone looked and gasped.

Towering over them was a big sea creature. It was green and scaly. It had sharp teeth as it let out a growl. The creature had arms with sharp claws as it starred down at the group menacingly.

"Now do you believe in sea serpents, Seto?" Heba asked.

"No reason to doubt it now." Seto answered.

The sea serpent raised a hand and brought it down at them.

Everyone jumped out of the way at the same time.

However, the recoil from when the sea serpent's hand hit the ground threw everyone off of their feet.

"Okay. This is bad." Marik said.

Joey then jumped up at the sea serpent from behind, hoping to catch it off guard.

However, the tail of the sea serpent rose out of the water and went at Joey.

"Joey! Behind you!" Heba shouted.

Joey didn't have time to react as the sea serpent's tail hit Joey right in the back. Joey crashed into the ground on his chest before he flipped over to his back. He groaned in pain.

"Be careful of its tail!" Atemu warned.

All four tigers jumped up at the sea serpent.

The sea serpent caught Windstar and Earthstar in its hands while it slung its tail and hit Waterstar before the tail went back again and hit Lighteningstar.

The blue and yellow tigers crashed into the ground, hard.

Then, the sea serpent slammed Windstar and Earthstar down into the ground as well.

The green and white tigers also groaned in pain.

"Waterstar!"

"Earthstar!"

"Lighteningstar!"

"Windstar!"All four of the Millennials went at the sea serpent.

Malik brought his sword at the serpent, but the serpent blocked the sword with hid tail and forced Malik backwards.

Joey came at the serpent from the front while Heba went at him from behind, thinking that at least one of them would be able to hit the serpent.

However, the serpent ducked, and the two crashed into each other before the two fell back to the ground.

Ryou went at the serpent, but the serpent hissed as it brought a hand down at Ryou and nearly struck him, but Ryou managed to get out of the way of the strike.

"Next idea?" Marik asked the group as everyone got together, looking at the serpent.

"There has to be something that we can do." Atemu said.

"if only there was a way to blind that serpent, we might stand a chance at stopping this thing." Yami stated, having noticed that the serpent seemed to follow every movement with his eyes.

Everyone scattered once again as the serpent brought its tail down at them.

"This is ridiculous! Something has to be done to stop this thing!" Bakura growled.

The Millennium Ring started to glow and a blast of gold magic shot out from it.

The force of the release of magic knocked Bakura off of his feet and shocked him as well.

The magic attack hit the serpent right in the chest and sent the serpent crashing backwards into the water.

The water then splashed onto the ground.

"Enough with getting wet!" Malik exclaimed.

Seeing a chance, Ryou then threw his sword at the serpent, hitting the serpent between the eyes.

The serpent then fell forward, crashing onto the area in front of them.

Everyone looked.

"Think its dead?" Seto asked.

Suddenly, white light surrounded the serpent and it vanished.

"What happened?" Marik asked.

"The serpent. It must have been magical. The only way to get to the Millennium item was to manage to defeat the serpent." Heba said.

"Well, that makes a load of sense." Bakura said.

"My question is where the item is." Yami said.

Heba then looked out across the water. "I think I know the answer to that." Heba said.

"Oh no! There is no way that I am going to get in the water!" Bakura said.

"You have t do your part and help get that item!" Malik shot back.

"Not a chance! Besides, I did my part since I defeated that thing!" Bakura said.

"You didn't defeat it! Ryou did!" Malik retorted.

"He couldn't have done it without my help!" Bakura growled.

Heba rolled his eyes. 'I'm getting tired of their arguing.' Heba thought. He put his sword back in the sheath before he unhooked the belt that the sword was on. He then took off his cloak and jacket. "Atemu" Heba said

"What?" Atemu asked turning to his husband only to have to catch the three things that Heba had take off.

"Hold these." Heba said. He then walked to the edge and jumped over the edge, flipping so that he dove headfirst into the water.

"Well, at least one person isn't scared." Yami said.

* * *

Heba swam under the water as he searched for the item. He noticed the fish that were swimming around.

'It is beautiful down here. I wish that could study them more.' Heba thought.

Heba shook his head. 'I have to stay focused. I have to find that item.' Heba thought.

Heba swam a little deeper underwater. 'Where is it?' Heba asked himself.

A sparkle of gold caught his eye.

Heba swam down and found a gold box in a crevice in the reef. He smiled. 'Found it.' Heba thought as he reached into the crevice for the box.

* * *

Atemu was pacing worriedly, concerned about his husband being under the water alone.

"Calm down, Atemu. He's fine." Bakura said.

"I can't help it! I don't like the idea of him being under there alone." Atemu said.

A few moments later, Heba jumped up out of the water and flipped so that he landed on his feet in front of them.

"Hey! You did it!" Marik said when he saw the gold box.

"Yes, I did it." Heba answered.

"You okay?" Atemu asked.

"I'm fine. Just wet." Heba sawed.

"Well, we can go now." Bakura said.

"Can't you show at least a little concern?" Malik asked.

"Malik, that doesn't bother me. Come on. Let's get back on the plane." Heba said.

The group then headed for the plane.

* * *

There was a knock on Yugi's door.

"Come in!" Yugi called.

The door opened, and Solomon walked in. "Yugi, I thought that you would like to know that I just received word from the Pharaoh." Solomon said.

"Is everything all right?" Yugi asked, worried that there might have been an attack.

Solomon waved him off. "Nothing to be concerned about. He was letting us know that he has spoken to Heba and the others. They are fine, and they had two of the items." Solomon said.

"That's good. They are going to need those items." Yugi said.

"I just hope that they work." Solomon said.

"They will." Yugi said confidently.

"How do you know that?" Solomon asked, surprised at his grandson's confidence in his words.

"Because I have to believe that. The alternative is too gruesome to think about." Yugi said.

"I understand." Solomon said.

"But also because for some reason, I know in my heart that they will work." Yugi said.

Solomon smiled. "Well, your instincts have never been wrong before, so there is no reason for me to doubt them now." Solomon said.

Yugi smiled at him. "Thanks, Grandpa." Yugi said.

Solomon nodded. "I'll leave you alone now." Solomon said before he left.

Yugi leaned back in his chair and sighed.

Firestar watched his master worriedly. "Are you all right?" Firestar asked.

"I'm fine." Yugi said.

Firestar saw the sadness, though. "You miss him." It was a statement, not a question.

"Miss who?" Yugi asked although he knew good and well who Firestar was talking about.

"Prince Yami. You miss Prince Yami." Firestar said.

Yugi sighed. "Yes, Firestar. I miss him. I love Yami with all my heart, and not being with him is killing me. I'm also worried about him given the possible danger that he could be in." Yugi said.

"You do know that you two could be together." Firestar said.

"No, we can't." Yugi replied.

"Master, Yami isn't the Crown Prince. He may have some duty to Egypt, but he could leave." Firestar said.

"Firestar, Yami has a duty to Egypt as I have a duty to the Millennial Kingdom. I know this, and there is nothing that I can do about it." Yugi said.

Firestar sighed, knowing that there was no way to change his master's mind. 'I may need some help to get these two together.' Firestar thought.

* * *

Once back on the plane, Heba had gone to the small bathroom in the back of the plane to dry off and change into some dry clothes.

"So, which one do you think this is?" Marik asked as he looked at the closed box.

"Open it, and find out." Heba said.

All eyes turned to Heba, who had gotten out of the bathroom.

"The easier way to satisfy your curiosity." Heba explained.

Malik went forward and undid the lock before he opened the box to reveal the Millennium Scales lying in the box.

"What's this one?" Marik asked.

"It looks like a set of scales." Seto remarked.

"Good guess. They're called the Millennium Scales." Heba said as he looked at the book.

"What do they do exactly?" Yami asked.

"It says here that the Millennium Scales can weigh the good and evil in a person's heart to determine if they are good or evil." Heba said.

"Sounds like it could be used to judge if someone was innocent or guilty of a crime." Atemu said.

"Probably could be used to do that." Heba admitted.

"Who does it belong to?" Marik asked.

Everyone picked it up, but it didn't react to anyone.

"Another one we have to wait and see about." Atemu remarked.

"Okay. We got this one. Can we go now?" Bakura asked.

"You don't believe in rest, do you?" Malik asked.

"I don't want to be flying around the world looking for these things for forever and a day!" Bakura retorted sharply.

"All right. We can go." Heba said.

Everyone sat down, and Heba started the plane.

"So, have you changed your minds about sea serpents existing, Seto?" Joey asked.

"Not in the least." Seto answered.

"Why not? We saw one back there." Atemu said as they lifted off.

"It wasn't a real one. It was made of magic. Therefore, I don't think that it was an actual sea serpent." Seto said.

"You do know that it could have been a real one." Heba said.

"Until I see one with my own eyes, there is no way that I will ever believe that. As far as I'm concerned, it's nothing but a fairytale." Seto said.

Heba shook his head. "When this entire ordeal is over, I am going to make sure that you start believing in some of these mythical things that you seem to be so skeptical of, Seto." Heba said.

"You can try all that you want, but there is no way that you are going to succeed." Seto said as he crossed his arms defiantly.

"Seto, I think that you have just made a big mistake." Ryou said while Malik started laughing.

"Why's that?" Atemu asked.

'Because Heba's stubborn, and he won't give up on changing Seto's mind about all this until the day that he dies or Seto's does, whichever comes first unless Seto happens to change his mind." Joey answered.

"Well, he's going to have a long wait then." Seto said.

"We'll see." Heba answered.

The challenge between Heba and Seto had been heard by them all, and they were interested to see which one would win this little game.

But first, they had to find the remaining five Millennium items and stop the Zordanians.

* * *

Hope you liked. All the information on the Great Barrier Reef came from the Grolier encyclopedias that I have.

Next: The Millennium Rod.

R&R.


	13. The Millennium Rod

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 13- The Millennium Rod

The plane was idling through the air since Heba had no idea where they were supposed to go to next.

"Okay. Before I do too much, get out the book and figure out where the next item is." Heba told them from his position behind the plane's controls.

"Sure thing." Malik said as he grabbed the book from where it was laying.

"What items do we have left, anyway?" Marik asked as he leaned back in his seat.

"Well, we've only found the ring, necklace, and scales, so there are five left." Ryou said as he got the book that listed the items out. "There's the Millennium Rod, the Millennium Key, the Millennium Key, and there's two Millennium puzzles." Ryou said as he looked through the list of them.

"I wonder why there's two of the puzzle." Atemu said.

"No way to know. We'll find out when he find them, hopefully." Joey said.

"I hope that we can get through this soon. I just really don't like having to fly all the time like this." Bakura muttered.

"Come on, Bakura. You always said that you wanted to go on an adventure. Well, we're on one now." Yami said.

Bakura groaned. "I take it back." Bakura said.

"Too late. We started this mission, and we have to finish it. Besides, the entire universe is at stake in this." Seto reminded them.

Lighteningstar waltzed over to where Malik was looking at the book. "Did you find it, yet?" Lighteningstar asked.

"Yes, I found it." Malik said.

"Well, read it!" Bakura snapped.

Malik glared at him. "You were all too busy talking!" Malik shot back.

"You could have interrupted!" Bakura growled.

"You would have snapped at me for that, too!" Malik growled.

"This is getting old." Yami said as he rubbed his forehead.

"No kidding. I might end up killing them to just to have a little peace." Seto said.

"Or we'll just tie them up and put duct tape over their mouths." Atemu said.

"You guys like that thought, don't you?" Ryou asked, looking over at them.

The three shrugged.

"Their arguing does get annoying." Atemu said.

"Ryou and I know that better than anyone." Marik said as he knotted his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes.

"How do you two deal with it?" Joey asked.

"We let them might it out. We usually amuse ourselves by playing some kind of game." Ryou replied.

"That's why you've become such masters at games!" Atemu exclaimed.

Marik smirked with his eyes still closed. "Well, I wasn't going to tell you that I got so good at playing games because I play them almost everyday." Marik said.

Atemu growled. He had wondered why Marik had become such a challenge for him when it came to playing games, and he now knew exactly why that was.

"Guys!" Heba shouted over the sound of Malik and Bakura's bantering.

All eyes turned to where Heba was.

"Could you read the next clue so that we can figure out where the next item is? I really don't want to fly aimlessly. We are on a bit of a tight schedule." Heba reminded them.

"Oh. Right. Someone distracted me." Malik said, shooting Bakura a glare.

"You could have read it by now!" Bakura snapped.

"Malik! Bakura!" Heba growled.

"Right. Sorry." Malik said. He looked back down at the book. "A large arena is the next area you seek. Oval in shape, the exterior walls are made of travertine, the inner walls of tufa, and the vaulting of the seating of monolithic concrete. This place is next to a colossal statue of one of the great emperors of the empire. The arena is used for sporting events. Gladiators fought often in this place. Animals were also used to entertain the people. The lions guard the item in an underground chamber." Malik said, reading from the book. He closed the book and said, "What the hell does that mean?"

"That in is way to easy." Seto said.

"No kidding. Only someone who isn't from this world wouldn't know what that place is." Yami said.

"Then I don't feel so bad for not knowing." Joey said.

"Uh, I have no idea what that thing is talking about." Marik said, finally opening his eyes.

"You don't?" Atemu asked, incredulous.

"Neither do I. What is it talking about?" Bakura added.

"I can't believe that you don't know that. It's so simple." Yami said, slightly exasperated.

"Okay. Tell me so that I know where to go." Heba said.

"It's the Roman Colosseum in Rome, Heba." Seto said.

Heba nodded and plotted their course for Rome.

"So, what was this place known for?" Joey asked.

"The Roman Colosseum is one of the oldest and most famous structures in history. In fact, the Colosseum is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World." Atemu said.

"It's the place where ancient Romans would go for entertainment. Gladiators, who were just men that fought for the entertainment of their emperor, would fight each other in full view of the people. The winner was loved, and the loser died most of the time." Atemu explained.

"It's most famous for being the place where people would be fed to the lions." Seto said.

"Man. That'd suck." Joey said.

There was a growl.

All eyes turned to where Lighteningstar looked rather pissed.

"Uh, what's wrong, boy?" Malik asked.

"I hate it when people use cats for their own purposes! We don't kill needlessly!" Lighteningstar growled.

"We know that, Lighteningstar. Calm down." Joey said.

"They would have the people thrown to the lions have fresh cuts all over their bodies. Basically, the Romans forced the lions to act on natural instinct." Atemu said.

"I still don't like it." Lighteningstar muttered.

"None of us do, but we have to deal with it. It's just the way the ball bounces." Waterstar said.

Lighteningstar glared at him. "You're starting to sound like Emperor Yugi." Lighteningstar said.

"Someone here has to be the voice of reason." Waterstar said.

Heba sighed. "Lighteningstar, large cats like lions and tigers are often feared, and that's probably what the emperors of ancient Rome were going for. It's nothing personal. Besides, animals here don't have the ability to speak." Heba said.

"Yeah. I know. I know." Lighteningstar said.

"Doesn't mean we have to like it." Earthstar said.

"No. You don't." Heba agreed.

"From the sounds of it, the Colosseum is going to live up to its reputation as far as the lions are concerned." Malik said as he looked at the book.

"Yeah. If a lion is guarding the item, then it's really living up to the name." Marik agreed.

* * *

Aknankanon was in the throne room dealing with the daily palace business that he had to do.

Dartz stayed nearby in case he learned of anything that happened that would require his help.

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room were throne open, and a guard rushed into the room.

"Pharaoh! We are being attacked again!" the guard said.

"What?! Where?" Aknankanon demanded as he jumped to his feet along with Aknaudin, Karim, and Shada.

"Near the outskirts of the city on the west side." the guard replied.

Dartz stepped forward. "Pharaoh, we will help you in this situation." Dartz said.

Aknankanon nodded.

Dartz left along with Karim and Shada, who would lead the Egyptian forces in the battle.

'I hope that they will succeed in saving our people.' Aknankanon thought, knowing that they were in trouble since the items had not been recovered just yet.

* * *

The plane had run into a storm, and the plane was shaking rather badly.

A sharp jolt had them all jumping their seats.

"Heba! Can't you do something about this?" Joey asked.

"Sorry, Joey, but it's a lot harder than you think to maneuver a plane during a storm. You're all just going to have to deal with it until we get out of this." Heba said.

Heba fought to keep the plane as steady as possible through the howling winds and the heavy rain.

"I've never had a plane ride like this." Bakura muttered.

"Bakura, clam down. There's only so much that Yugi can-" Atemu was cut off as another jolt had them all bouncing again, "do." Atemu finished.

"Sorry, guys." Heba called back.

"It's not your fault." Yami remarked.

"I hope we get out of this soon." Malik said.

After about half an hour of fighting against the storm, Heba managed to get them out of the storm and get the plane to a steady flight.

"Well, that part of it is over." Heba said.

"Thank goodness." Ryou said.

"How long before we reach the Colosseum?" Seto asked.

"We should get there in about half an hour." Heba answered.

"That's good." Marik said.

"I'm just not looking forward to dealing with lions when we get there." Joey said.

"Don't worry, Puppy. I'm sure that your pet tigers can handle them." Seto said.

"WE ARE NOT PETS!" Waterstar, Lighteningstar, Windstar, and Earthstar all shouted at the same time.

"You're pets given that you follow them around all the time." Seto retorted.

Earthstar growled. "We are guardians! It is our duty to protect them from harm at all costs! It is our duty to oversee their well-being! We are no different than the personal guards that you all have!" Earthstar said.

"Yeah! We don't like being called pets! Pets are pampered, and we are certainly not pampered!" Windstar growled.

"Watch it, or might let you get killed the next time an assassin comes!" Lighteningstar growled.

Seto jumped, started by the outburst form the three tigers.

"I think that you insulted them, Seto." Joey said.

"I didn't think that they would take it so hard." Seto said.

"The way we see pets are different than the way you see pets." Heba said.

"How do you see them?" Marik asked.

"Pets are treated like royalty. You give them everything that they could possibly want or need. They don't have to do much each day, and they are left to their own devices for the most part. Guardians are protectors. They would give their lives to save their master's life. They're trained fighters." Ryou explained.

"You guys do things that pet owners would." Atemu said.

"Like what?" Malik asked.

They sleep with you, and you guys pet them all the time." Atemu answered.

"We know. They sleep with us just in case an assassin tries to kill us during the night. We do pet them and love on them, but that's just the bond we share with them. They're like friends to us, and we treat them as such. Those are just friendly gestures, not the gesture of a pet owner." Malik said.

"Okay. Sorry for saying that." Seto said.

"Don't worry about it. From your standards, we are pets. You couldn't have known that we see being pets differently than the way you see them. That probably should have been explained to you beforehand." Waterstar replied.

"In any case, they're important given that they have saved all of your lives at one point or another." Ryou said.

"Point taken." Bakura said.

Bakura, Marik, Yami, Seto, and Atemu made a mental note to never call the tigers pets ever again. They really didn't want to be ripped to shreds.

* * *

Dartz and the others arrived to find that the village was still under attack.

"We must act now." Shada said.

"We Millennials will last longer in a battle. Get the citizens that you can out of here, and we will fight these Zordanians as best we can." Dartz said.

"Agreed." Karim said.

The Millennials went in to attack, and the Egyptians went to save their people.

Dartz blocked a sword from hitting a woman and kicked the man away. He turned to the woman and said, "Quickly! Get to the priests and soldiers!"

The woman nodded and ran off.

Dartz blocked a sword as it came at him before he pushed the man away. He turned and kicked the man in the chest, but the man went back at him and tried to strike Dartz.

"You will not stop us. We shall win." the Zordanian said.

"We shall see." Dartz said. He slammed his head into the man before forcing him back.

Dartz could feel his magic weakening slightly. 'They act quickly.' Dartz thought.

The Zordanian ran at Dartz, but Dartz managed to block the sword before he rammed his knee up into the man's stomach. The man doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. Dartz then rammed his elbow down into the man's back, slamming the man into the ground. Dartz then brought the blade of the sword down into the Zordanian's back, killing him.

The Millennials were able to kill a few of the Zordanians, despite the fact that their magic was slowly weakening.

The Zordanian leader realized that they were not ready for this kind of battle. Not yet. "We shall continue this battle another day." the Zordanian said before all of the Zordanians disappeared in smoke.

Dartz breathed deeply. "If that is what only a few can do, then we are most certainly in for a major war.' Dartz said.

Karim and Shada came up to them.

"Thank you. We couldn't have done so well in that battle." Karim said.

"You don't need to thank us. We are glad to help." a Millennial soldier said.

"Were the people taken to safety?" Dartz asked.

"Yes. There are nearby towns that are willing to take them in." Shada answered.

"That's good." Dartz said.

"The dead will be given a proper burial by their families." Karim said.

"We will remain and help move the dead." another Millennial soldier said.

Karim nodded before Karim, Shada, and Dartz started to return to the palace to tell Aknankanon of the battle that they had fought.

* * *

Heba had landed the plane in an open area near the Colosseum.

The group got off of the plane as they walked toward the Colosseum.

"Wow! This place is massive!" Joey said when they arrived.

"That's one of the things that the Colosseum is known for." Seto said.

The group then entered the Colosseum.

"A lot of people could fit in this place to watch all of the events that took place here." Ryou said as he noticed that there was a large amount of seating space.

"What's that?" Malik asked, pointing to an elaborate box high in the center.

"We assume that that's where the emperor and other high ranking officials would sit to watch this." Atemu answered.

"Okay. Back on task. Where do we look?" Bakura asked.

"it mentioned lions right?" Heba asked.

"Yeah. An underground chamber, too." Yami answered.

"Well, I suggest that we start looking in the area where the animals were kept before these events. The underground chamber is probably somewhere like that." Heba said.

The group then started to walk toward where the lions and other animals had been kept in the Colosseum.

"Okay. We're here. Now where do we start?" Bakura asked.

"I think that we're just going to have to search through them all." Malik answered.

"No way! I'm not looking through places where animals were kept!" Bakura said indignantly.

"Bakura, it's been centuries since the last time there were any animals kept in this place. I don't think that we have to worry about being seen by any of those animals." Atemu said.

"Let's start looking." Marik said.

Everyone started looking on each stall one by one to see if they could spot where the underground chamber would be.

Soon, they were nearing the end of the area.

"Maybe the underground chamber is somewhere else." Seto said.

"I don't think so. These clues have been very accurate. We've found the item exactly where it says in the clue each time. I think that the underground chamber is here somewhere." Heba said.

The group then walked into the last chamber, which was rather elaborately decorated.

"Wow. They kept a lion in a place as decorated as this?" Bakura asked as he looked around.

"This might be one of the most used lions, one who pleased everyone with his actions in the arena. It's probably the one that everyone wanted to see, so it was kept well in this place." Heba said.

"Hey! What's that?" Malik asked as he pointed.

Everyone looked and saw a carving in the wall. It looked like a rod.

"Hey. That looks like the picture of the Millennium Rod from the book." Ryou said as he remembered what the rod looked like.

"It's clue. The rod must be hidden in the underground chamber behind this wall." Heba said.

"Okay. Let's just use our magic and blast it open so that we can get this over with." Joey said.

"NO!" Seto, Atemu, Yami, and Heba all shouted at the same time.

"Why not?" Joey asked.

"Joey, the Roman Colosseum is a historic place. We can't destroy it." Atemu said.

"What about the item?" Malik asked.

"Malik, I'm certain that there is a way to get into the underground chamber that doesn't require us to destroy the Colosseum." Heba said.

The group walked up to where the carving of the rod was.

"How do we do this?" Marik asked as he crossed his arms, getting bored.

Heba looked at the rod closely and noticed that there seemed to be a hole where the eye in the design was. He then pulled out his sword.

"I thought you weren't causing any damage." Seto growled.

"I'm not, Seto." Heba answered. He turned the sword so that the tip was placed into the hole before he turned the sword, also turning the eye.

The group shook a little as the wall in front of them slid up to reveal a set of stairs that sloped downwards.

"Okay. I think that you found it, Heba." Joey said.

"It helps when you observe things instead of immediately deciding to destroy it." Heba answered.

Heba led the group as they descended the stairs.

"Master, stop." Waterstar said.

Heba did as did everyone else.

"What is it?" Yami asked.

The tigers darted down in front of them.

"We can smell them." Lighteningstar growled.

"The lions?" Heba asked.

"Yes." Windstar answered.

"Okay. You guys go first. We'll follow." Heba said.

The tigers then led the way down.

* * *

"So, you were able to save most of the people of the town." Aknankanon said.

"Yes. There were very few dead, and the ones that were are going to be given a proper burial by their families. The soldiers remained to take the bodies to them." Karim replied.

"Good. They all deserve a proper burial." Aknankanon said.

"We owe a great deal to Lord Dartz and the other Millennials for their aid. No one would have survived had it not been for them." Shada said.

"You need not thank us. We are only doing what is right. These Zordanians are lethal to all and must be stopped at all costs." Dartz said.

"We do owe you a great deal. It is your power that is allowing us to survive in these battles against them. We could not have lasted as well as you. You even managed to kill a few of them." Karim said.

"You killed some of them?" Aknankanon asked.

Dartz nodded. "I know that my magic was being drained. I could feel it. However, we were able to take down a few before we were too badly drained." Dartz answered.

"That is good." Aknankanon said.

"If you will excuse me, I need to inform Emperor Yugi of this latest development." Dartz said before he left.

"We are fortunate that the Emperor chose to aid us. He is under no obligation to since the peace treaty between us has no been finalized yet." Karim said.

"The Emperor already sees the military aspect of the treaty in effect. For that, we are indebted to him." Aknankanon agreed.

* * *

The moment that the four tigers reached the bottom of the stairs, they leaped out and clashed with the two lions that had attacked.

All six growled at each other as they all crouched down in attacking positions.

"Now what?" Marik asked.

"If you want to try and help them, be my guest. For now, I think that the best thing to do is to let them handle the lions." Heba said.

"Yeah. Those lions could kill us if they wanted to." Yami said.

"I think that we're all staying here." Atemu said.

The two lions roared loudly before they lunged forward at the tigers.

The tigers also attacked.

The lion brought it's claws down into Waterstar's face, throwing Waterstar backwards. In retaliation, Earthstar jumped forward and tackled the lions. The two felines went rolling across the floor before Earthstar managed to pin the tiger underneath him.

Lighteningstar and Windstar both jumped at the other lion. The lion lashed out at Windstar, but Windstar managed to get out of the way. Lighteningstar crashed into the lion and knocked it backwards, but Lighteningstar was knocked to the ground as well. Windstar jumped forward at the lion before it could get up and tackled it to the ground, pinning it down.

The two lions growled at the tigers before they stopped.

"You're Millennial tigers." the lion that Earthstar had pinned said.

The tigers as well as the humans were shocked.

"You're Millennial lions!" Lighteningstar shouted.

"Of course. Who else would the Emperor put in charge of protecting the items?" the lion that Windstar had pinned asked.

Heba walked on into the room. "If you promise not to attack us, they'll let you go." Heba said.

The lions agreed and were let up.

"Who are you?" Heba asked.

"I am Crescent." the lion that Earthstar had pinned said.

"And I am Lunas." the other lion said.

"You were the ones charged with guarding the items?" Joey asked.

"Yes. I see that you have one." Lunas said, seeing the ring around Bakura's neck.

"We have three, actually. We don't know who the necklace and the scales belong to." Atemu said.

"Why do you need them?" Crescent asked suspiciously.

"The Zordanians have returned, and they're attacking Egypt. We need them to save the universe." Heba explained.

"I didn't realize that it was serious." Lunas said. He gestured to the gold box behind them. "Take it." Lunas said.

Heba walked forward and picked up the box.

"Can we ask a favor?" Crescent asked.

"What's that?" Bakura asked.

"Can you open a portal to the Millennial Kingdom so that we can go home?" Crescent asked.

"Sure thing." Heba answered. He opened a portal.

"Thank you." Lunas said before the two lions went through it and the portal closed.

* * *

After sealing the room again, the group returned to the plane.

"Well, that was interesting. Not exactly what I expected." Joey said.

"I like them." Earthstar said.

"Only because they were felines like us." Waterstar said.

"That's the beauty of it." Earthstar replied.

"Well, at least we have four of them now. We're halfway there." Atemu said.

"All right. Open the box already." Bakura said.

"Have you ever heard of the word patience?" Heba asked as he set the box on the table.

"No." Bakura answered.

Heba unlocked the box and opened it to reveal that the Millennium Rod was inside.

"Well, at least we're down to just four to find." Yami said.

Heba picked up the rod. "We need to see if one of us is the one to control it." Heba said. He passed it to Atemu.

The rod then went around the circle.

"Doesn't look like it belongs to anyone here, either." Marik said.

"This is a complete waste of time." Seto said as he took the rod from Marik.

The Millennium Rod started to glow.

"You were saying?" Yami asked as he smirked at his cousin.

"So, it belongs to me?" Seto asked.

"Apparently so." Heba said.

"Great." Seto said sarcastically.

"Well, now that that's over, we should get going." Heba said as he got behind the controls of the plane.

Everyone else sat down as well.

Heba started the plane and took off.

They were now halfway through their mission, but they still had a lot to do.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Again, the info about the Colosseum came from the Grolier encyclopedias I have. Also, I'll probably have Bakura and Malik arguing a lot. Hope you don't mind. I decided to go with the ancient Egyptian person who had the rod. Sorry to anyone who wanted Marik to get an item.

Next: The Millennium Eye.

R&R.


	14. The Millennium Eye

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 14- The Millennium Eye

Now that the group had four of the eight Millennium items, they were halfway through their mission.

"So, we have four of them. We only have eight to go." Ryou said.

"Good. Let's hurry up and find them so that we can go home already." Bakura said gruffly.

"Come on, Bakura. It's not that bad." Atemu said.

"Not that bad! We have been away from home for nearly a month, and you say that it's not that bad!" Bakura shouted.

"Geez, and I thought that you were the one that would have loved this since it meant that you would be away fro a while. You always said that you hated being confined to the palace and wanted the chance to get away." Yami said.

"Yeah. That's why we got into trouble so much when we were teenagers since you were the one, along with Marik, that always dragged us out to go into town." Atemu said.

"They got you guys to go into town?" Malik asked.

"But you guys take us to town all the time." Heba said.

"Yeah, but we usually have bodyguards with us at all times, and the fact that you guys have such great power and skills helps out, too." Seto answered.

"In any case, someone get out the book so that we can figure out where I need to head next." Heba said.

Bakura grabbed the book.

"Uh, Bakura. You're not going to being able to read it." Malik said.

"And why's that?" Bakura snapped.

Malik rolled his eyes. "Because the book is written in the Millennial language, and you don't know it." Malik answered.

"Oh." Bakura said.

Ryou took the book from Bakura. "I'll find it." Ryou said. He then started to flip through the book.

"I just hope that things haven't gotten worse back home." Marik said as he leaned back in his chair.

"We would have been contacted if something had gone wrong, and things got worse." Joey said.

"Not if it happened too quickly." Atemu answered.

"Don't worry. It would take a lot of magical energy to do what these Zordanians are plotting. We would have sensed something like that." Heba said.

"Plus, Yugi already offered the aid of the Millennial army in case the Zordanians did do something, so they would go to help out if necessary." Malik added.

"Guys." Ryou said.

All eyes turned to him.

"I found the next clue if you're interested in hearing what it says." Ryou said.

"All right. Where do we find this one?" Yami asked.

Ryou looked down at the book. "A city that sits upon a great mountain houses the next item. An ancient people lived in this great city. Well preserved by time, this place stands even now. Dense vegetation kept the city hidden as it was on this mountain. The city is carved into the mountain, and stone walls surround the city. A great dragon guards the item." Ryou read.

"Any idea what that means?" Heba asked.

"Not really." Marik said.

Atemu, Yami, and Seto all rolled their eyes.

"We know that you guys don't know the answer to it." Atemu said.

"Well, what does it mean?" Bakura asked impatiently.

"This one isn't quite as clear as the others." Yami said.

"Seto, can you use that program that you used before to figure out what it means?" Heba asked.

"Sure thing." Seto answered. He got his laptop out and turned it on.

"A city carved into a mountain. Not exactly something that I would have expected." Joey said.

"Well, ancient civilizations would do that." Yami said.

"Okay. I've put in ancient cities on mountains, but it didn't narrow it down enough." Seto said.

Heba thought for a moment. "Seto, change it to cities carved into the mountain and add the stone wall that surrounds the city." Heba told him.

Seto did as Heba told him. "Hey. That did it." Seto said.

"Where is it?" Bakura asked impatiently.

Seto glared. "You don't have to rush me." Seto retorted.

"Where is it, Seto?" Atemu asked.

"It's talking about the Incan city of Macho Picchu." Seto answered.

"Hmm. I didn't even consider that." Yami said.

"Where is this city at?" Heba asked, needing to know what direction he needed to take.

"It's in the Andes Mountains in Peru." Seto answered.

Heba nodded and headed the plane in the right direction.

"Well, we'll be down to finding three items pretty soon." Bakura said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Don't be so quick to judgment, Kura. We don't know how hard it will be to get this." Ryou said.

"I'm not worried. It's not like there is much to worry about." Bakura said.

"Yeah. We haven't been thrown anything that we couldn't handle yet, so I agree with Bakura. We don't have anything that we need to worry about." Marik said.

"Let's just hope that you're right." Joey said as he looked at the book. The part about the dragon had him a little worried.

* * *

Yugi walked down the halls of the palace, deep in thought. 'There have been a lot of attack from the Zordanians lately. I know that the Pharaoh is starting to get sick of it since it is his people that are suffering so much.' Yugi thought.

"Yugi."

Yugi turned to find his grandfather catching up to him.

"Where are you going?" Solomon asked.

"No where, really. I was just doing some thinking." Yugi answered.

"What are you thinking?" Solomon asked.

"I think that I need to send more soldiers to help the Pharaoh with the Zordanian attacks." Yugi said.

"Yes. I understand that there was another attack." Solomon said.

"Yeah. It's getting worse. I know that it takes time for Heba and the others to find the items, but we're running out of it at the moment." Yugi said.

"The people are rallying behind you since learning that Egypt is under attack. I think that because Heba, Joey, Ryou, and Malik are all married to Egyptians, they feel the need to aid them." Solomon said.

"So I've noticed. I just don't know what we can really do. We may last longer in these small battles, but the major battles are going to be much harder." Yugi said.

"I know. There is little that can be done to prepare." Solomon said.

Yugi sighed. "It seems almost hopeless." Yugi said. A thought then struck him. "Unless-" Yugi trialed off as he thought about it.

"Unless what?" Solomon asked.

Yugi turned to face his grandfather. "Unless there was a way to block the magic that the Zordanians from affecting us." Yugi said.

"Meaning that Millennials wouldn't be affected by it." Solomon said.

"Yes. If Millennials were able to fight them at full strength, then Egypt's chances of survival would be much greater." Solomon said.

"Such a thing won't be easy to do, though. We don't know anything about the magic that the Zordanians hold." Yugi said.

"Perhaps we need to send in a few experts on the subject then." Solomon said with a smile.

Yugi caught on to his grandfather's meaning. "I think that you're right. Come on." Yugi said.

The two then walked down the hall to find the ones that they were looking for.

* * *

Heba flew the plane to the area of Peru where the ancient city of Machu Picchu was located.

"Uh oh." Heba said as he looked over the area.

"What?" Joey asked.

"We're going to have to do some climbing. There's no way that I can land the plane in an area close to the city without causing damage to the city itself, and I don't think that anyone would be happy if we caused any damage to the city." Heba said.

"We can't do that. It's a historic place, and we would get in a lot of trouble for that. Not to mention the fact that Dad would murder us all for even thinking of doing something so foolish. We'd be really dead if we actually did it." Yami said.

"That's why we're climbing." Heba answered.

Heba guided the plane down into an open area that eh could land in.

Once on the ground, the group got out of the plane.

"Ah, man! We have to climb that!" Joey exclaimed.

"Yes, we do." Heba answered.

"Why don't we just fly up?" Malik asked.

"Because we won't get up there." Lighteningstar growled.

"He's right. Besides, every other creature that the book has said guards an item has been there, so chances are that there is a dragon up there guarding this item. We don't want to give ourselves away by flying in the air. It won't kill you to do a little climbing, Malik." Heba said.

"You never know. I it might kill me." Malik said.

"I don't think it will." Atemu said.

"Come on. We can't waste time talking about this." Bakura said.

"He's right. Come on." Yami said.

The group walked toward the base of the cliff and started to climb up.

About halfway through the climb, the group had to stop for a breather.

"Man! This is hard work!" Joey said as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"I'm beginning to wish that we had thought to take off our capes and jackets." Ryou said as he tugged at his collar.

Bakura took a look up. "And we're not done yet. We still have a lot of climbing to do." Bakura remarked.

"You know, it seems like climbing the Himalayas was easier than this." Marik said.

"Well, this is really rocky, and the Himalayas weren't nearly as rocky as this is." Seto answered.

After taking a fifteen-minute break, the group resumed climbing.

The tigers were having a little easier time than the humans were because the tigers were digging their claws into the rock to hang on as they climbed up.

The group finally made it to the top of the mountain.

Once at the top, everyone, including the tigers, collapsed. All were sweating and panting as they tried to cool down and regain their breath from the exhausting climb.

"Maybe we should have flown up here, Heba. It would have been less tiring." Ryou said.

"You realize that now! When it's too late!" Malik exclaimed.

"Malik, knock it off. There's nothing we can do now. Come on. We have to find that item." Heba said.

The group got to their feet and headed toward the city.

* * *

"You called, Your Majesty?" Valon asked.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Valon, you are my brother-in-law. You don't have to go for all the formality crap. That goes for you, too." Yugi said, looking at Rafael and Alister.

"What is it that you needed to see us for?" Alister asked.

"I need you to do something important for me. I know that you three are good at creating magical things to suit your own needs." Yugi said.

"We've been known to do that, yes. What does that have to do with anything?" Rafael asked.

"I want you three to go to Egypt and help out in the battles against the Zordanians. While you're there, I want you to see if you can find a way to block the Zordanians' ability to drain us of our magic." Yugi said.

"So come up with a spell that will prevent them from draining our magic." Alister said.

"Exactly." Yugi said.

"It might be easier if we were able to find a way to make some sort of amulet or charm that would prevent the person who wears it from ebbing drained." Valon said.

"Then do that." Solomon told them.

"We should warn you that there is a chance that we won't be able to do this." Rafael said.

"I understand. All I ask is that you try." Yugi said.

The three nodded, determined to do the best they could in this situation.

* * *

After entering the city, the group started to look around the ancient city.

"Look at this architecture. I haven't seen anything like it." Ryou said as he admired the architecture of the different building in the city.

"That's why scholars believe that the Incans were the ones who supervised this city." Atemu answered.

"Okay. So, where is the Millennium item at?" Bakura asked.

"We don't know. That's why we're going to have to look." Atemu answered.

"We need to stay on guard. Don't forget that there is most likely a dragon somewhere around here, so we have to be ready for anything." Heba said.

The group then started to look around, splitting up to do just that.

* * *

Rafael, Valon, and Alister had arrived in Egypt to be met by Dartz.

"I have been told by Emperor Yugi why you are here. I hope that you can do this." Dartz told them.

"We're going to try our best. We may not be able to, but we are certainly going to try." Rafael replied.

Dartz nodded.

"Does the Pharaoh know why we are here?" Alister asked.

"No. Emperor Yugi and I thought it best that he not know in case it doesn't work. We didn't want to get the Pharaoh to hoping that we could pull this off and only dash his hopes if we, or rather you, don't succeed." Dartz replied.

"How are you going to explain our presence then?" Alister asked.

"You're here to give extra aid to us against the Zordanian attacks." Dartz answered.

The three nodded their understanding.

"Lord Dartz!"

Dartz looked to see Isis running up to him. "Priestess Isis, what is it?" Dartz asked.

"There is another attack." Isis explained.

"Where?" Dartz asked.

"On the east side of the kingdom. Mahado and Karim have gone on ahead with the Egyptian and Millennial soldiers." Isis answered.

"Come. We must go and aid them in this battle." Dartz said to Rafael, Alister, and Valon.

All three nodded before they ran off as well.

* * *

After searching almost everywhere, the group came to a certain area of the city.

"Okay. We have looked almost everywhere. Where the hell is that item?!" Bakura shouted.

"Stop shouting!" Seto snapped.

"Uh, guys." Heba said.

"You're shouting, too!" Marik shot back.

"Both of you, stop it!" Ryou said.

"Guys." Atemu said, seeing what Heba saw.

"Will you all stop it?! Arguing like this isn't going to get us any closer to finding that item than we already are, so zip it already!" Malik growled.

"Stay out of this!" Bakura growled.

"Guys." Yami said, knowing what Heba and Atemu did.

"Just knock it off! It may take a while, but we will find that item!" Joey said.

"Oh, shut up!" Marik shouted.

"Don't yell at him, Marik!" Seto growled.

"Will you knock it off?!" Ryou exclaimed.

Heba, Atemu, and Yami looked at each other, wondering how they were going to get their attention.

"This is pointless." Waterstar said as he watched them argue.

Heba looked down at his tiger and got an idea. "I may know a way to get them to stop." Heba said.

"At this point, we'll try anything." Yami said.

"Okay. The three of us are going to have to plug our ears." Heba said.

"Why?" Atemu asked.

"Because these four," Heba said, motioning to the four tigers, "are going to surround them and roar as loud as they can, and we don't want to hear that at full force." Heba explained.

"Good idea." Yami said.

"I love it." Earthstar said.

"So do I. I just love scaring people." Lighteningstar added.

"Get to it." Heba said, motioning to the others, who were still arguing.

Waterstar, Windstar, Lighteningstar, and Earthstar then surrounded the arguing group.

Atemu, Heba, and Yami all plugged their ears, waiting for when the tigers would roar.

All four tigers looked at each other before-

"RRRRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!"

"AAAAAHHHHH!" the arguing group shouted as they jumped and landed in a pile on the ground.

"Lighteningstar!" Marik and Malik shouted.

"Windstar!" Bakura and Ryou yelled.

"Earthstar!" Seto and Joey shouted.

Heba walked forward. "I told them to do that." Heba said.

"Why?" Marik asked.

"Because you wouldn't listen to us when we were trying to tell you something rather important." Yami answered.

"Like what?!" Bakura growled.

Heba, Atemu, and Yami all pointed to where a carved natural stone that was enclosed by curved walls of dressed stone with trapezoidal windows stood. On a stand in front of the stone was the gold box of the Millennium item.

"It was right in front of you while you were arguing." Heba said.

There was a sudden loud roar.

Everyone looked up to see a pure black dragon land in front of the box.

"I think we've found the dragon." Bakura said.

"Who dares come here to try and take the Millennium item?" the dragon growled, fire coming from it's mouth as it spoke.

"Perhaps running is in order." Marik said.

Heba, confidant, stepped forward. "I am Heba, Prince of the Millennial Kingdom as well as Egypt." Heba answered.

The dragon blinked. "You are a Prince of the Millennial Kingdom?" the dragon asked.

"Yes, I am." Heba answered.

The dragon used a clawed a hand to stroke his chin. "Ah, yes! I can sense that four of you are Millennials. For what purpose do you come here to claim the Millennium item?" the dragon asked.

"Um, who are you?" Joey asked.

"I am known as Terrace. I was told to guard the Millennium item at all cost and only relinquish it to a Millennial royal. I sense that you speak the truth. I will get you take it." Terrace said. He curled his tail around the box before he moved it around in front of Heba.

Heba took the box. "Thank you, Terrace." Heba said.

"My pleasure." Terrace said.

"Great. Now we have to climb back down." Bakura said.

Terrace chuckled. "No need. If you get on my back, I can take you back down." Terrace said.

"That would be great!" Marik said.

"If you don't mind, we'll do that on our own." Heba said as he drew out his wings along with Joey, Malik, and Ryou.

The other climbed onto Terrace's back and everyone flew down the mountain to where the plane was.

"Thanks for the ride." Yami said.

"My pleasure." Terrace said.

"What will you do now?" Heba asked.

"Well, my mission is complete, so would you allow me to return to the Millennial Kingdom?" Terrace asked.

Heba nodded and opened a portal to the Millennial Kingdom, which Terrace immediately went through.

"Well, that was uneventful." Bakura said.

"Be thankful. They all won't be like that." Heba said.

The group then headed back into the plane.

* * *

After a tiresome fight, the Millennial and Egyptians collapsed, exhausted.

"They really do drain you of your magic." Valon said.

"Unfortunately, yes." Dartz replied.

'I see why Emperor Yugi wanted us to try and form a way to block that ability, but I know that it is hopeless.' Rafael thought.

After aiding the survivors of the town, everyone returned to the palace.

Dart, Rafael, Valon, and Alister went off to talk.

"Can you do it?" Dartz asked.

"There's no point in trying. Without an understanding of the magic, we can't do it. We would need to know more about their magic, but we know nothing of it, so there is no chance that we can even attempt it." Rafael said.

"I understand. There is nothing you can do about that." Dartz said.

"We are sorry. We would like to help, but we can't in this case." Alister said.

"Don't blame yourselves. You can't help it." Dartz said.

The three nodded.

* * *

"I understand, Dartz. Thank you." Yugi said before he turned off the monitor. He then sighed.

"No luck?" Solomon asked as he entered his grandson's office.

"No. Rafael, Valon, and Alister don't know enough about Zordanian magic to do anything. Without further knowledge of the magic, there is nothing that they can do." Yugi answered.

"It was a good idea, Master." Firestar told him.

"Maybe, but it is impossible to do." Yugi said.

"We will have to hope that the others find the Millennium items, and that these items can aid us in this war." Solomon said.

"Those items are our last hope." Yugi said.

"The others will find the items for sure." Firestar said.

"I know they will find them all. It is a matter of whether or not they find them before the war starts." Yugi said.

"We can only hope that they do." Solomon said.

Yugi nodded his agreement. 'I must be ready to go and help should the need arise.' Yugi thought.

* * *

Once on the plane, Heba set the box containing the Millennium item down on the table.

"Okay. So, which one is this?" Bakura asked.

"We'll soon find out." Heba answered. He unlocked the box and opened it to reveal the Millennium eye inside.

"Which one is this?" Atemu asked.

Malik got the book and opened it to the page about the Millennium Eye. "This one is called the Millennium Eye. It says that the Millennium Eye can see into a person's soul and can tell if the person has good or evil intentions." Malik said.

"Wow. That's pretty special." Marik said.

"I wonder if one of us is the owner of it." Atemu said.

"There's only one way to find out." Joey said.

Everyone except for Bakura and Seto, since they already had an item, tried the item, but it didn't react to any of them.

"Well, none of us are it's owner." Heba said.

"Well, that's another item that we have to search for the owner." Yami said.

"We can't help that, Yami." Ryou said.

"I know." Yami said.

"Well, we had better get out of here and start looking for the next item." Heba said.

"Good idea." Atemu agreed.

Everyone sat down in their seats as Heba started the plane.

Heba then started to lift the plane off.

"At least we're almost done. We only have three items left that we have to find." Yami said.

"Right. We're close to having them all. With any luck, we can stop those Zordanians with the items." Atemu said.

"Only time will tell the answer to that mystery." Heba said.

"I guess we're off to look for the next item." Joey said.

The plane then started to leave Peru.

* * *

Hope you liked it. The information about Machu Picchu came from the Grolier encyclopedias that I have.

Next: The Millennium Key.

R&R.


	15. The Millennium Key

Here's the next chapter.

There is a bit of a lemon between Atemu and Heba in this, so if you don't like lemons, skip the writing between the bold. You've been warned!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 15- The Millennium Key

Heba guided the plane through the air.

"Okay. Where's the next one?" Bakura asked gruffly.

Joey got the book and started to flip through it, searching for the next clue.

"At least there's only three left. It means that we're going to be able to head home pretty soon." Marik stated.

"Well, here it is." Joey said.

"What does this one say?" Seto asked.

"The next item lies near a dormant volcano, which is the highest mountain in this country. This is also the highest point in this place. Hot springs and other places of crustal instability are located. The earth shakes many times in this place, and it can be dangerous. Buddhists see this peak as sacred. A great beast guards this item." Joey read.

"Any clues?" Malik asked.

"What is it with all these mountains?! It's getting ridiculous!" Bakura growled.

"Calm down, Bakura. There's nothing that we can do about it, and it sounds Mount Fuji in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu area of Japan." Atemu said.

Heba nodded his head and set the course.

"We need to be careful. There's no telling when an earthquake could occur." Yami said.

"Well, we have to find that item, so there's no choice. We'll just have to brave it." Malik said.

"We're not afraid to go. He's just saying that we need to be careful." Seto said.

"How did you know it was Mount Fuji, anyway?" Bakura asked.

"Because Mount Fuji is the most famous dormant volcano is Japan, for one. Plus, there are earthquakes all the time in Japan, and Mount Fuji is the highest mansion as well as the highest point in Japan." Yami answered.

"Oh." Marik said.

Heba shook his head. "Marik. Bakura. I think that you need to learn geography." Heba said.

"All the geography we need to know is Egypt's." Bakura said.

"Well, if one of the last two happens to be in Egypt, you might know where it is then." Joey said.

Atemu, Yami, and Seto all laughed at them.

Bakura and Marik glared at Joey.

Lighteningstar and Earthstar snickered at Bakura and Marik, knowing that what Joey had said was true.

"Oh. Shut up!" Bakura snapped at the tigers.

That only caused Earthstar and Lighteningstar to collapse into a fit of laughter.

* * *

Aknankanon sighed as he leaned back in the chair in his office.

Things had been rather quiet of late with no attacks on Egypt from the Zordanians.

This didn't make Aknankanon feel anymore at ease, though. This only put him more on edge.

'I can't help but wonder if the reason that the attacks have been so sparse recently is because they are preparing themselves for a major attack that we do not see coming.' Aknankanon thought.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Aknankanon called.

Aknaudin entered the room. "Brother, are you all right?" Aknaudin asked as he shut the door and walked into the room to sit down.

"Why do you ask that, Aknaudin? I am perfectly fine." Aknankanon said although he knew that lying to his younger brother was useless.

"Don't like to me, Aknankanon! You didn't dine with anyone at breakfast or munch today. Now, out with it." Aknaudin said.

Aknankanon sighed. "I am worried. The lack of attacks from the Zordanians has left me on edge." Aknankanon said.

"Why? Is the lack of battles not a good thing?" Aknaudin asked, rather confused by his brother's worry over this.

"It means that the Zordanians are planning something major. I fear that a major attack may be planned or either in the planning stages." Aknankanon said.

"I had not thought of that. I understand your concern now." Aknaudin said.

Aknankanon sighed. "I'm just hoping that Atemu and the others manage to find all of the Millennium items in time." Aknankanon said.

"It would seem that our fate lies with them." Aknaudin said.

"I know." Aknankanon said. He knew that his sons and the others would manage to find all of the items in time. The real question was if they would find the items before the Zordanians made their major attack against Egypt.

* * *

Heba landed the plane close to the base of Mount Fuji.

Everyone got off of the plane and looked up.

"Oh, man. More climbing." Malik groaned.

"Uh, Malik." Heba said.

"What?" Malik asked as he turned to look at Heba.

Heba pointed to a path that led up the mountain.

"Oh." Malik said.

"At least we don't have to climb this time." Bakura said.

"Come on. Let's start walking. This is going to take a while even with a smooth path." Atemu said.

The group then started up the mountain.

"What do you think the book meant by that beast that's guarding this item?" Joey asked as they walked.

"We won't know until we find it, Joey." Heba answered.

The group hadn't made a quarter of the way before trouble hit.

The ground started to shake.

"What's going on?!" Malik shouted as he tried to keep his footing.

"EARTHQUAKE!" Atemu shouted.

Rocks from above the mountain started to fall down at them.

"BACK DOWN THE MOUNTAIN NOW!" Seto bellowed.

The group turned on their heels and hightailed it down the path toward the plane again.

Unfortunately, they were not able to move fast enough.

The falling rocks caught them, and the entire group was sent falling down the mountain, effectively separating them.

* * *

Yami groaned as he opened his eyes. He sat up and winced at the pain in his back. "Damn it! That fall really hurt." Yami said, rubbing his back.

"You all right, Prince Yami?"

Yami turned to find Waterstar. "Yeah. I'll be okay. What about you, Waterstar?" Yami asked.

"I'm fine." Waterstar answered.

Yami got onto his feet. "Any idea where Heba and Atemu are?" Yami asked.

"No. When we fell, I was separated from them. We were all separated. We're just going to have to look for them." Waterstar said.

Yami looked up. "We're back at the base of the mountain. With that rockslide, it'll probably be easier to search around the base for the others." Yami said.

"I agree." Waterstar said.

The two then started to walk around the foot of the mountain.

"You were right about the earthquakes being dangerous." Waterstar said.

"I know I was. I just wish that I had actually heeded my own advice and had been more careful." Yami said.

"No one is at fault here. You couldn't have known that this would happen." Waterstar told him.

"I know. I just hope that we are able to find all of the others unharmed." Yami said.

"As do I." Waterstar agreed.

* * *

Bakura opened his eyes before he rolled over onto his stomach. "What the bloody hell hit me?!" Bakura growled as he got up to his knees, rubbing the back of his head.

"I believe it would be called a rockslide." Windstar answered.

Bakura turned to find Windstar standing right beside Ryou, who was still unconscious. He the crawled over to Ryou. "Ryou, are you okay?" Bakura asked as he shook Ryou gently.

Ryou groaned before he rolled over to his back and sat up. "What happened?" Ryou asked.

"An earthquake happened. It caused a rockslide. We fell down to the base of the mountains." Windstar answered.

Ryou looked around. "Where are the others at?" Ryou asked.

"I don't know. I think that we were separated." Bakura said.

Ryou stood up as did Bakura.

"Well, I think that we had better start looking for everyone else." Ryou said.

"Great. We have to waste our time looking for everyone when we could be looking for that damn item!" Bakura growled.

"Let's go. The sooner we find everyone else, the sooner we can find the item." Windstar said.

The three then started to walk around looking for their friends.

* * *

Joey moaned as he opened his eyes. He sat up and held his head in his hands. "Damn it! My head is killing me!" Joey said.

The feel of a wet tongue licking his face caused Joey to look up right at Earthstar.

"Hey, boy. You okay?" Joey asked as he pet Earthstar's head.

"Yeah care more about that tiger than you do me." Seto said.

Joey turned to see Seto walking toward them, brushing the dirt off of himself. "I didn't see you there, Seto." Joey said as he got to his feet.

"Of course you didn't. You were too busy trying to make sure that your tiger was all right to worry yourselves about your husband. I feel so loved right about now." Seto said extremely sarcastically.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Come on, Seto. You know better than that." Joey said.

"Yeah. So what?" Seto asked, crossing his arms.

"Could I point out something?" Earthstar asked.

"What?" Seto asked, glaring down at the green tiger.

"We're back at the base of the mountain, we have been separated from everyone else, and I think that we need to find them to make sure that everyone is okay so that we can go and find that Millennium item." Earthstar said.

"He's right. We have to find the others." Joey agreed.

"All right. Let's get walking then." Seto said.

The three then started to look for everyone else.

* * *

Lighteningstar leaned down and nudged Marik's face.

Marik growled. "Go away." Marik muttered, turning his head the other way.

"Lord Marik, get up." Lighteningstar said.

"No." Marik said stubbornly. "I'm too tired. Go and bother Malik." Marik retorted, not moving.

Lighteningstar growled. "GET UP RIGHT NOW!" Lighteningstar shouted in Marik's ear.

"AAAHHH!" Marik shouted as he jumped up onto his feet. He turned and glared at Lighteningstar. "What?!" Marik demanded.

"We have been split up from everyone else." Malik answered as he walked over to the two.

"Are you sure?" Marik asked.

"Look around. Do you see them anywhere?" Malik asked as he swept his arm across the area to prove his point.

"I see what you mean." Marik said as he got onto his feet.

"What now?" Lighteningstar asked.

"All we can do is start looking for everyone else. We have to regroup and find that Millennium item." Malik answered.

The other two nodded their agreement, and the three started to search the area for their missing friends.

* * *

Atemu groaned as he opened his eyes. HE noticed that it was dark around him.

Sitting up, Atemu looked around and found that he didn't see anyone. "Is anyone here?" Atemu asked.

A low groan was heard and Heba said, "Até? Is that you?"

"Heba? You okay?" Atemu asked as he saw where Heba sat up at. He got over to Heba.

"Yeah. Just a little shaken." Heba answered.

"That earthquake took us all by surprise, and that landslide didn't help." Atemu said.

"I noticed. Where are we?" Heba asked.

"I think that we're in some kind of cave." Atemu said.

"Oh no!" Heba exclaimed.

"What?" Atemu asked.

Heba pointed, and Atemu saw that the entrance to the cave was blocked.

"That's not good." Atemu remarked.

"We have a bigger problem." Heba said.

"What?' Atemu asked.

"This place is completely sealed off now. There's not a crack that leads to the outside." Heba said.

Atemu caught on. "If there are no cracks in this place, then we are going to run out of air." Atemu said.

"I know." Heba said.

"Can you use your magic to get us out of here?" Atemu asked.

"I could try to blow out the rocks, but there's a chance that it'll cause the cave to collapse." Heba said.

"Making things worse." Atemu translated.

Heba nodded.

"I hope that the others manage to find us soon. How long do you think we have?" Atemu asked.

"A few hours, tops. Of course, we'll only stay conscious about two." Heba said.

"Fantastic." Atemu said.

The two then sat back against the cave wall, not able to do much else.

* * *

Soon, everyone, except for Atemu and Heba, met up at the base of the mountain.

"Well, at least we found each other. Now, we can go and get that damn item!" Bakura said.

"Where are Master Heba and Prince Atemu?" Waterstar asked.

Everyone looked at each other.

"They have to be somewhere." Yami said.

"Don't have a panic attack. I'm sure that they're fine. After all, they're both rather resourceful when the occasion calls for it." Seto said.

"He's right. Those two are probably making their way up the mountain." Malik agreed.

"I suggest that we do the same." Marik said.

In agreement, the group started to make their way up the mountain.

* * *

Atemu and Heba knew that it had been a while, and they knew that they were starting to run out of air.

"I never thought that we would end up dying like this." Heba said.

"I know." Atemu said as he placed his arm around Heba. "I imagined us growing old together." Atemu said.

Heba closed his eyes. "Well, we are together." Heba said.

"Yeah. We are." Atemu said, burying his face in Heba's hair. He then started to kiss down Heba's air to his face.

Heba moaned softly. "Atemu, what are you doing?" Heba asked.

"I want to feel you." Atemu answered.

Heba looked at Atemu in surprise. "You want to make love in this cave?" Heba asked.

"Heba, we're running out of time, and there's a chance that the others won't find us in time." Atemu said as he let one finger trace Heba's face. "If I am going to die now, I want to make love to you at least one last time." Atemu answered.

"So do I." Heba said.

**LEMONS STARTS HERE!**

Atemu then leaned forward and kissed Heba gently. Heba wound his arms around Atemu's neck as he deepened the kiss. Atemu ran his tongue over Heba's bottom lip, asking for entrance. Heba obliged and opened his mouth, letting Atemu inside. Atemu mapped out the inside of Heba's mouth as he started to unbutton Heba's shirt. Once Heba's shirt was completely unbuttoned, Atemu unwound Heba's arms from around his neck and pushed Heba's shirt, jacket, and cape off of him and to the floor.

Heba then unbuttoned Atemu's shirt and pushed it off of him as well.

Atemu pushed Heba backwards so that he was laying on the ground and then lay down on top of Heba.

The two just kissed gently for a little while, wanting to savor this moment since there was a chance this would be the last chance that they would have to be together.

Atemu then started to kiss down Heba's neck, laying gentle butterfly kisses on his lover's neck.

Heba let out a soft moan. "Atemu." Heba said.

"Hmm." Atemu said to let Heba know he was listening.

"No foreplay this time. Please." Heba begged.

Atemu understood.

They may not have much time, and both wanted to be together.

Atemu then stripped himself of the rest of his clothing before he took off the rest of Heba's clothes as well. He lay his naked body down on top of Heba before he ground his hips hard into Heba's, getting Heba to gasp. He then did it again, harder.

"At-Atemu, please." Heba begged, wanting to feel his husband.

"I wish that we had something to use for lubrication." Atemu said.

"I'll be fine, Até. Don't worry about me." Heba assured him.

Atemu nodded, although he wasn't sure about this.

Heba then spread his legs, and Atemu settled between them.

Still wanting to ease some of the pain, Atemu reached down to Heba's entrance and slipped one finger inside of him.

Heba gave a light gasp at the unexpected intrusion.

Atemu moved his finger inside of Heba a bit before he added in a second finger, moving them in a scissor-like motion. His fingers then brushed against Heba's prostate.

"Atemu!" Heba gasped as he pressed against the fingers.

Atemu smirked. He added in a third finger and thrust his fingers into that spot, and he had Heba withering and moaning under him real fast.

"Atemu, please." Heba begged.

Atemu had had enough, too. He removed his fingers from inside of Heba before he positioned himself at Heba's entrance. He hesitated, knowing that it was still going to hurt Heba some.

"Atemu, will you hurry up?" Heba ordered, tempted to just force Atemu on his back and impale himself on Atemu's member.

"Heba, I just don't want to hurt you too much." Atemu said.

Heba sighed before he did as he had thought before. He rolled them so that he was on top of Atemu. "All right, then. If you're afraid of hurting me, I'll do this at my pace." Heba said.

Atemu was a bit startled. He hadn't expected Heba to suddenly roll them over. He also felt a little thrilled because he loved it when Heba rode him.

Heba then positioned himself over Atemu's member.

Not willing to let Heba do all the work, Atemu reached up and placed his hands on Heba's hips.

Heba then started to lower himself onto Atemu's member, hissing at the pain that made itself evident although it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be.

Atemu groaned as tight heat surrounded his aching member.

Once fully seated, Heba stopped to give himself time to adjust.

Atemu opened his eyes and looked up at Heba. He grimaced when he saw Heba's face was contorted slightly with pain. He reached up and stroked Heba's cheek. "I'm sorry, Heba." Atemu said.

Heba opened his eyes and looked down at Atemu. "Don't worry about it." Heba assured him.

Once he adjusted, Heba slowly lifted his hips before he then impaled himself again.

Atemu couldn't stop the groan that escaped his lips as Heba started to ride him.

Heba continued with a slow pace for a little while, but it didn't last long. He started to move up and down on Atemu's member even faster, wanting to feel his husband.

Atemu groaned as he tightened his hands so much on Heba's waist he knew that it would leave bruises. He didn't care at the moment, though. All that mattered was being with Heba.

Atemu started to thrust up into Heba now.

"AH! ATEMU!" Heba cried when Atemu struck his prostate, stalling his movements.

Atemu smirked before he started to thrust up into the spot.

Heba regained his composure and started to move on Atemu again.

It wasn't long before Atemu could feel his release coming. He tried to stall it, but it useless. "HEBA!" Atemu groaned as he released inside of his lover.

Heba moaned as he felt Atemu release inside of him.

Atemu panted as he recovered from his release. The first thing Atemu heard was Heba's whimper. Remembering that Heba hadn't released, Atemu rolled his over so that he was on top before he pulled out of Heba. He then leaned down and placed his hands on Heba's hips and took Heba fully into his mouth.

"Atemu!" Heba cried as he threaded his fingers in Atemu's hair.

Atemu then started to suck hard on Heba's member as well as bobbing his head up and down.

Heba couldn't take it. "ATEMU!" Heba cried as he released into Atemu's mouth.

Atemu swallowed every drop that Heba released before he let go.

**LEMON ENDS HERE!**

Heba panted as he tried to regain his breath.

Atemu wrapped his arms around Heba, pulling him close. "I love you, Heba." Atemu murmured.

"I love you, too." Heba replied.

The two got redressed before they held each other, wondering if this was the end.

* * *

Ryou, Malik, and Joey all panted as they finally killed the beast that had protected the Millennium item.

"Finally. Now we can go." Bakura said, grabbing the box.

Yami was worried. "Guys, we went on the assumption that Atemu and Heba were already up here, but they're not." Yami said.

All eyes turned to him.

"I think that they are still at the base of the mountain." Yami said.

"They could be hurt." Ryou said.

"We have to hurry." Seto said.

The group made it down the mountain as fast as they could.

"What do we do now? We have no way to find them." Marik said, worried.

"Waterstar, can you pick up their scent?" Yami asked.

"I'll try." Waterstar answered and started to sniff the ground.

Without being asked or told, the other three tigers started sniffing the ground as well.

"I found it!" Lighteningstar shouted suddenly.

Everyone went over to where he was.

Soon, the tigers were led to a large group of rocks.

"Are they under them?" Joey asked.

"No. I think behind them." Waterstar answered.

"We have to dig and fast." Ryou said.

"We can blast it." Malik said.

"No. We might hurt them that way." Ryou said.

The group then started to dig through the piles of rocks, hoping to find Atemu and Heba safe.

Once the rocks were gone, they went in the cave.

"Atemu!" Yami exclaimed.

"Heba!" Ryou cried.

The two ran over to where they were.

Both looked pale.

"What's wrong?" Malik asked.

"Air! The cave was completely sealed, so they started to run out of air. Get them outside!" Seto ordered.

The group quickly picked the two up and got them outside.

Before long, Atemu and Heba woke up, gasping for breath.

"You two okay?" Bakura asked.

"Fantastic. I love running out of air." Atemu said sarcastically as he coughed.

"Took you long enough." Heba said tiredly.

"Sorry. We assumed that you two headed on up to get the item, so that's where we went." Ryou said.

"Did you get it?" Atemu asked.

Bakura showed them the box.

"Good. Let's go." Heba said.

With a little help, Atemu and Heba made it to the plane.

* * *

Once on the plane, Atemu and Heba collapsed into chairs in the room.

"Do not even think of making me get up." Atemu told them.

"No problem. After what you two went through, I think that you deserve a bit of a rest." Yami told them.

Ryou took the box from Bakura and opened it to find the Millennium Key inside of the box.

"Which one is that?" Seto asked.

Malik got the book and looked it up. "It's called the Millennium Key. It has the ability to let the owner look inside of a person's soul to and see all of their desires and dreams." Malik said.

"Cool. I'd love to have that." Marik said.

"Marik, even if it belonged to you, you couldn't use it for any underhanded reasons. They're supposed to be used for good only." Ryou reminded him.

"Drat!" Marik said as he pouted.

Malik rolled his eyes. "Maybe we should figure out if this item belongs to anyone here or not." Malik said.

Yami picked it up, but had no reaction. He then passed it on to Ryou.

When it came to Marik, he touched it, and the key started to glow.

"Well, looks like you're the one that gets to have the key, Marik." Joey said.

"All right! I got a Millennium item!" Marik said.

"We're doomed." Bakura muttered.

"Let's get going." Seto said.

"Heba-" Ryou started, turning to where Heba was and stopped. "I think it would be useless to ask Atemu and Heba anything." Ryou said.

Everyone looked and saw that Atemu and Heba were fast asleep. Heba had his head resting on Atemu's shoulder, and Atemu had his chin on Heba's head.

"Let them be. They need to rest." Yami said.

"I guess I'll take over flying." Ryou said. He got behind the controls of the plane, and everyone else took their seats.

Everyone thought it best to give Heba and Atemu time to recover from their ordeal.

* * *

Hope you liked it. I couldn't resist doing that to Atemu and Heba. Again, the information about Mount Fuji came from the Grolier Encyclopedias that I have.

Next: The Millennium Puzzle.

I have a poll up on my profile, so please vote in it. It'll be up for about a week.

Enjoy!


	16. The Millennium Puzzle

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 16- The Millennium Puzzle

The plane was flying through the air once more.

"At least we only have to find two more items." Bakura said as he leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

"Yeah. We're that much closer to finally being able to go back home." Marik agreed.

From his position behind the controls of the plane, Ryou said, "We won't be able to do that if we don't find out where the next item is."

"I'll get it." Heba said.

Heba and Atemu had recovered from their ordeal back in Japan.

Heba grabbed the book and started to flip through it.

"I just hope that these items are able to help us. We're putting a lot on these items." Yami said.

"Well, they're our last hope at the moment." Seto said.

Heba found the next entry. "The next item is found within the statue of a great beast. With the head of a man and the body of a lion, this place is guard over one of the great king's tombs." Heba read.

Immediately, all of the Egyptians said, "The Great Sphinx!"

"We're going back to Egypt!" Bakura shouted as he pumped his fist up in the air.

"This is in Egypt?" Joey asked.

"Yes. The Great Sphinx is one of the greatest monuments in Egypt. Any of us would know that one." Seto said.

"You know, maybe instead of going right to that one, we should see where the next one is at so that we can get that one instead of going to Egypt and then leaving again." Ryou said.

"He's right. That would be the most logical thing to do." Seto agreed.

Bakura groaned. "I was looking forward to getting home." Bakura said.

Heba frowned as he looked through the book.

"You okay, Heba?" Malik asked when he noticed the frown on Heba's face.

"There are eight items in all, right?" Heba asked.

"Yeah. That's what that book said. Why?" Yami asked.

"Because the clue about the Great Sphinx is the last one listed." Heba explained.

"What?!" was the collective response.

"That can't be right. There are eight items, and only seven clues?" Atemu asked.

"According to this book, yeah." Heba said.

"Are you sure that being trapped in that cave didn't do any brain damage, Heba?" Malik asked.

Heba glared at Malik. "Malik, I know what I am seeing. There are only seven clues here." Heba told him.

"Hold on!" Windstar said.

All eyes turned to the white tiger.

"Wasn't there one item that had two of the same one?" Windstar asked.

"Yeah. The Millennium Puzzle. Why?" Joey asked.

"Maybe both of the puzzles are in the same place." Windstar said.

"That is the most logical explanation for there being only seven clues." Waterstar agreed.

"Well, I guess we're heading back to Egypt then." Seto said.

Ryou changed course and headed the plane back to Egypt.

"Well, at least we're going to be some where that we know this time around." Bakura said.

"Yeah, and you actually got one right." Yami said.

Bakura and Marik glared at him.

"You have to admit that he's right. That's the only clue that you two figured out." Atemu added in.

"Hey, Atemu." Heba said.

"Yeah?" Atemu replied, turning to look at his husband.

"I think that you had better contact your father and let him know that we're going to be heading back now and why." Heba said.

"Good point. He's going to want to know." Atemu said.

"I'm sure that he'll be glad that we'll be home soon." Bakura said.

* * *

Aknankanon was in his study. He was trying to do some of his routine work, but was having trouble concentrating.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Aknankanon called.

Karim opened the door. "Pharaoh, there is someone here to see you." Karim said.

Aknankanon looked up and saw that Yugi was standing with him. He stood up and said, "Emperor Yugi, please come in."

"Thank you." Yugi said as he walked into the office with Firestar behind him.

Karim then shut the door.

"Is there something wrong, Emperor?" Aknankanon asked.

"I have been sensing a build up of magic. I don't think that we have long before the Zordanians make their next attack." Yugi said as he sat down.

Aknankanon looked grave. "I feared that that might be coming. It had been too quiet of late." Aknankanon said.

"I will make good on my promise and give you any aid that we possibly can." Yugi said.

"I know, and I am thankful for the aid that you have already given us." Aknankanon said.

"If you do not mind, Firestar and I will be staying here now. I would rather be here for when the attack comes." Yugi said.

"I would appreciate that, Emperor Yugi. We need all the help that we can get." Aknankanon told him.

"Have you heard how Heba and the others are doing?" Yugi asked.

Before Aknankanon could answer, the video monitor beeped.

"I'm sorry. I need to see what this is about." Aknankanon said.

"Of course." Yugi said, understanding completely.

Aknankanon answered it. "Atemu!" Aknankanon exclaimed in surprise.

"Hi, Dad. I thought that I would let you know that we're heading back home now." Atemu said.

"You have all of the Millennium items, then." Aknankanon said.

'That will help if they do.' Yugi thought.

"Not yet. The last two items are located in Egypt, so that's why we're coming back. We'll have to find them once we get back." Atemu said.

"I understand. How long before you get back?" Aknankanon asked.

"Ryou thinks that it'll be about four hours." Atemu answered.

"All right. We'll be expecting you." Aknankanon said.

"All right. Bye, Dad." Atemu said.

The connection was then cut.

"That is certainly a relief. I was worried about them." Aknankanon said.

"If they have all but two, then even if an attack comes before the last two are recovered, we will have more help than we would without them." Yugi said.

"I agree. They have done well even if they have been gone for several months." Aknankanon said.

* * *

~Four Hours Later~

As Ryou said, the group arrived back in Egypt in about four hours. Ryou landed the plane on the landing strip.

The group then got off of the plane.

Aknankanon, Amara, the priests, and Yugi were there to meet them.

"You're all right." Amara said happily.

"Yes, Mother. We are fine." Yami assured her.

Heba then noticed his brother. "Yugi, what are you doing here?" Heba asked as he walked over to him.

"I sensed a build up of magic and knew that something big was going to happen soon, so I decided to come on here." Yugi said.

Heba nodded his understating.

Yami watched Yugi discreetly. 'He looks so beautiful. I wish that I could just hold him right now.' Yami thought. He immediately has to squash the thoughts. 'This isn't the time to think about that. There are more important things that I need to focus on.' Yami thought.

Atemu did notice Yami's distraction. 'I really need to talk to him.' Atemu thought.

"Come inside." Aknankanon said.

The group then headed inside.

* * *

After telling them what they had gone through to get all of the items, it was found out that Isis was the owner of the Millennium Necklace, Karim was the owner of the Millennium Scales, and Aknaudin was the owner of the Millennium Eye.

"Well, at least we do have some added help from these items now." Aknankanon said.

"Yeah, but we're not quite done yet." Atemu said.

"What do you mean?" Amara asked. She hadn't been happy when she heard that Atemu and Heba had been trapped in a cave for a while.

The group had left out the fact that the two had nearly died from the loss of air since that would have made things worse as far as Amara was concerned.

"We still have two items left to find. We figured out that they're here in Egypt, so we know that we have to go there and get the last two." Atemu explained.

"Where is this item?" Aknankanon asked.

"The clue leads us to the Great Sphinx." Seto explained.

Aknaudin frowned. "Why the Great Sphinx? There is nothing within it. There is no way to get inside." Aknaudin said.

"Not necessarily." Yugi said.

Heba turned to Yugi. "Do you know where it is then?" Heba asked.

"I might. There's a spell that Millennials can use to seal a doorway that leads into a place. Only a Millennial could reverse that spell. I myself used that spell back in the days of the rebellion against our father. It was a way to hide things from him." Yugi said.

"Could you find a secret way in?" Aknankanon asked.

Yugi nodded. "It's not that hard. Once the spell is cast, it's just a matter of finding the way in." Yugi answered.

"Well, you're going to have to come with us, then." Heba said.

"Why?" Yugi asked, turning to face his brother.

"Because no one else knows that spell." Heba answered.

Yugi looked at Heba for a moment before he said, "You didn't pay much attention to our magic lessons, did you?"

"Not a bit." Heba answered.

Everyone started laughing at that.

"All right. I'll go. I think it might be best if a few of us stay here, though. If an attack happens, you'll need the help of the Millennium items that you do have." Yugi said.

"He's right. We don't know when they're going to make their first move." Aknankanon agreed.

It was decided that Yugi, Heba, Atemu, and Yami would be the ones that went to find the item along with Firestar and Waterstar while the others remained at the palace in case something happened, and their power was needed.

* * *

"Do you think that they'll be able to pull it off?" Amara asked.

"I wouldn't worry about them. Heba and Yugi are the best warriors in the Millennial Kingdom, so they're going to be fine with anything that they might have to fight. Firestar and Waterstar can give them a lot of help with that." Ryou said.

"I just hope that they find these two items before time runs out." Aknankanon said.

Malik looked out the window. "That is one thing that we don't know at the moment." Malik said.

"All we can do is pray that they are able to do this quickly." Isis told them.

* * *

Yugi, Yami, Atemu, Heba, Firestar, and Waterstar arrived at the Great Sphinx.

"Okay. So, how do we do this?" Atemu asked.

Yugi walked forward a few paces and said a spell in the Millennial language.

"What was that supposed to do?" Yami asked.

"If I'm right about a passageway, we should be able to find it now." Yugi said.

The group spilt up to search with Yugi, Yami, and Firestar going in one direction while Atemu, Heba, and Waterstar went in the other.

Yami kept stealing glances at Yugi, wondering what he should say. He wanted to just tell him how much he missed him and that he loved him, but he knew that it would make things worse. Yami clenched his fists. 'Seeing him periodically like this is making it so much harder.' Yami thought.

Firestar noticed Yami's actions. 'He wants to be with Master, so why doesn't he just admit that and return with him? I mean, he's not the Crown Prince, so it's not like he has a duty to the people. I wish he would just finally admit that.' Firestar thought, able to see how depressed both were.

"We found it!" Heba suddenly shouted out.

Yugi, Yami, and Firestar went over to where the other where in front of a door.

"I told you that spell would work." Yugi said.

"Yeah, You did." Atemu said.

The group opened the door and went in.

"What are people going to say when they see a door in the Great Sphinx?" Atemu asked.

"They won't." Yugi answered before he said another spell.

"You made the door invisible again?" Heba asked.

Yugi nodded. "Don't need to arouse suspicion with other people." Yugi said.

The group walked down the passageway, but it was getting progressively darker.

"How are we going to find out way?" Atemu asked.

Yugi then turned on a flashlight he had brought. "With this." Yugi answered. He then handed another one to Heba.

The group walked down the passageway until they reached a fork.

"Now what?" Yami asked.

"We're going to have to go down both. Either one could lead to one of the puzzles, and it could be that the puzzles are in two different places." Yugi said.

The others nodded. They split up in the same groups with Yugi, Yami, and Firestar going down the right path, and Heba, Atemu, and Waterstar going down the left.

* * *

Atemu, Heba, and Waterstar walked down the path with Heba in the lead since he had the flashlight.

"What's up with Prince Yami and Emperor Yugi? They both seem rather tense." Waterstar remarked.

"I don't know." Heba answered.

Atemu had tried avoid this, but decided to say it anyway. "I think that-" Atemu started.

"DUCK!" Heba shouted.

All three ducked to the ground as arrows shot over them.

"What is that?" Atemu asked, looking up at an arrow that had been only an inch above his head.

"A trap. I think that these items are being protected even more." Heba said.

"We'd better crawl under the arrows." Waterstar said.

Agreeing on that, the three crawled slowly under the arrow. Once by the last arrow, they got on their feet.

"We'd better be on guard from now on. I don't want a repeat of this." Heba said.

Waterstar and Atemu nodded their agreement as they continued.

* * *

Yugi, Yami, and Firestar had gone down the other path.

"Why are both these items buried together?" Yami asked.

"I don't know. Maybe because they're same item." Yugi said.

Firestar rolled his eyes. "Could you two actually address what's really on your minds?" Firestar asked.

"Like what?" Yugi asked.

"Like your-" Firestar started.

"LOOK OUT!" Yugi shouted.

Grabbing Yami, Yugi jumped up along with Firestar to grab a bar above them.

Swords went flying through the air right where they would have been.

"Traps?" Yami asked.

"Yeah." Yugi replied.

"Think there are more?" Firestar asked as he stayed on the beam they had grabbed onto.

"I don't know. That's why we're walking across the beam." Yugi said.

"Can it hold all of us?" Yami asked from where he was hanging onto Yugi.

"If it can hold a 500-hundred pound tiger with us hanging on to it as well, I think so." Yugi said. He climbed up, helping Yami go as well.

* * *

Heba, Atemu, and Waterstar had made it through several other traps and ended up in a central room.

"Look!" Atemu said, pointing.

On a stand were two golden boxes.

"We found them." Heba said.

"AHHH!"

The three looked to see Yugi, Yami, and Firestar fall to the floor from a hole in the ceiling.

They landed with Yugi on top of Yami, and Firestar landed beside them.

"Are you guys okay?" Heba asked.

Yugi and Yami looked at each other before blushing and getting up.

"I think so." Yugi said.

Atemu had seen the looks when the two noticed the position that they were in. 'Something definitely went on between them.' Atemu thought.

"I hate trapdoors." Firestar growled.

"Come now, brother. It's not that bad." Waterstar said.

Firestar glared at him. "You're not the one that fell through a trapdoor." Firestar growled.

"You two are brothers?" Atemu asked,

"Yeah. Didn't they tell you? We're twins, actually." Waterstar said.

Atemu and Yami looked at Yugi and Heba.

The two shrugged.

"The tigers reflect their owners a great deal. They're twins like us." Yugi said.

"On to more important things." Heba said, motioning to the two puzzles.

"Let's get them then." Yami said, starting toward the boxes.

Yugi grabbed Yami by the arm and held him back. "Hold on, Yami. Didn't you guys say something about something guarding each item?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Heba asked.

Suddenly, the stone figures on all of the walls stepped off the platform and turned to look at them with their swords raised.

"That's why." Yugi answered.

The two Millennials grabbed their swords and turned to face the stone statues.

"I have never seen statues come to life." Yami said.

"I think that we have seen just about everything since we started the search for the Millennium items." Atemu replied.

"Not the time for talking." Yugi said.

The stone statues then attacked.

Yugi ducked and kicked the stone statue back, but it didn't do anything.

"Uh oh." Yugi said.

The stone statue hit him and sent Yugi crashing into the wall.

Heba blocked the sword from another stone statue, but the force threw him off balance. Another stone statue hit Heba and sent him crashing back into the ground.

"We're in trouble." Atemu said.

The stone statues rushed at them.

Waterstar and Firestar charged at the stone statues, but both were quickly knocked to the ground.

Yami and Atemu moved out of the way as the statues went at them.

Yami was surrounded by them. He looked around knowing that he was in trouble. Yami ducked, and the soldiers ended up hitting each other, destroying themselves.

Yami turned to where Atemu was. "Atemu! Force them to hit each other!" Yami shouted.

Atemu moved out of the way, and a stone statue destroyed another one.

Heba ran forward and grabbed Atemu, pulling him out of the way, causing two stone statues to destroy each other.

Yugi got up and ran forward, knocking Yami down as a stone soldier struck another, destroying it.

Using strategy, they were able to get the soldiers to destroy each other.

"Okay. Not exactly easy, but at least it worked." Yami said.

"Come on. Let's get the two items and get out of here." Atemu said.

The group walked up the platform.

Yugi and Heba each reached for one box, but a zap of gold magic hit them in their hands.

"Ow!" both exclaimed as they grabbed their hands.

"Are you all right?" Yami and Atemu asked at the same time.

Atemu looked at Heba's hand, and Yami looked at Yugi's hand.

Neither were burned.

"What was that?" Atemu asked.

"It's some sort of protection spell. Whoever the true owner of these puzzles are must be the only ones who can touch them." Yugi said.

"Can you take off the spell?" Atemu asked.

"No. There are several different types of protection spells. They are very specific. I would have to know the exact protection spell used, so I can't." Yugi said.

"Why don't you two try?" Waterstar asked, looking at Yami and Atemu.

"Why? The same thing might happen." Yugi said.

"Well, all of the Millennium items have gone to Egyptians, so it might be that they are the owners." Waterstar explained.

Atemu and Yami looked at each other.

"It's worth a try." Atemu said.

Both reached out and took one of the boxes, and they were not zapped.

"Wow. You were right, Waterstar. It worked." Atemu said.

"I told you that it would." Waterstar said.

"I know. I know." Atemu said.

Yami and Atemu then opened the boxes. All of their jaws dropped.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Yami exclaimed.

* * *

"BROKEN?!" was the exclaim from everyone.

"How can both be broken?! We need them!" Bakura exclaimed.

"Well, they are called the Millennium Puzzles. It lives up to the name." Yugi said

"Now what?" Amara asked.

"Well, they're the owners, so I would say that Yami and Atemu have to put them together." Heba said.

"This could take forever, though. How can we possible pull this off in the time that we have?" Yami asked.

"Being the owners, you might be able to put them together fast. Of course, there is no guarantee of that." Yugi said.

"Well, we might as well try." Atemu said.

There wasn't much of a choice at the time.

* * *

Yami and Atemu had gone to their rooms to try to put the puzzles together.

Waterstar moved Firestar to the side.

"What is it, Waterstar?" Firestar asked.

"All right. Spill. What is going on between Emperor Yugi and Prince Yami?" Waterstar asked.

"What makes you think I know anything?" Firestar asked.

"Because you always know what's going on in Emperor Yugi's life just like I always know what is going on in Master Heba's life." Waterstar answered.

Firestar sighed. "Something did happen. A lot, actually. Back when Prince Yami was staying in the Millennial Kingdom." Firestar said.

"What?" Waterstar asked.

Firestar motioned to the gardens, and the two started walking in them.

"Out with it." Waterstar urged.

"Well, Master Yugi and Prince Yami ended up starting a love affair." Firestar said.

Waterstar's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" Waterstar asked.

Firestar nodded and told him how the two had admitted their feelings for each other and starting a love affair only to end it when Yami had to leave.

Waterstar growled. "I can't believe that Prince Yami would do that. He could have stayed. He isn't the one to be Pharaoh." Waterstar said.

Firestar sighed. "What can you do? This is between them." Firestar said. He then glared at Waterstar. "Don't tell anyone what I've told you. Master Yugi and Prince Yami need to work this out themselves." Firestar said.

"All right. I just hope that they can work this out soon." Waterstar said.

"I know. I'm tired of the sexual tension between them." Firestar said.

"I sensed that, and I won't tell anyone." Waterstar said.

* * *

Several days had passed, and things finally come to blows.

A massive explosion hit the middle of Egypt.

"What the hell was that?!" Aknankanon exclaimed.

"The Zordanians! They're attacking!" Yugi shouted.

"The puzzles aren't done!" Atemu said.

"Work on them. We'll hold them off as long as possible." Yugi said.

Atemu and Yami went to, hopefully, finish the puzzles while everyone else left the palace to fight the Zordanians.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Again, the information about the Great Sphimz came from the Grolier encyclopedias that I have. Waterstar knows about Yugi and Yami for a reason that you'll find out later. And Atemu won't talk to Yami about this until after the Zordanians have been defeated.

Next: The start of the battle.

The poll is still up, so vote if you haven't.

R&R.


	17. The Battle

Here's the next chapter.

There are battle scences in this just so you know.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 17- The Battle

The Zordanians had made their move and were attacking the people of Egypt ruthlessly, killing men, women, and children as they went. They were using swords, daggers, bow and arrows, and guns to kill people.

The people were screaming and running as they tried to get away. Some of them would try to attack the Zordanians, but they did not have much luck since the Zordanians had so much magic and power at their disposal.

A few of the Zordanians were killed, but not many.

Soon, Yugi and everyone else arrive to stop the madness.

"Stop this!" Yugi ordered.

"You have no right to be here!" Aknankanon added.

One of the Zordanians moved his head to reveal that he had green hair and brown eyes. "We have to do no such thing. You may be the Pharaoh of Egypt," the Zordanian said, looking at Aknankanon, "and you may be the Emperor of the Millennial Kingdom," he continued, looking at Yugi, "but we will stop you once and for all. You do not have the power to defeat us." the Zordanian said.

"We will just have to see about that." Yugi said.

The Millennials and the Egyptians all drew their weapons, ready for battle.

Yugi had given the Egyptians high-powered weapons that were from the Millennial Kingdom given the enemy that they were up against.

"If you intend to fight us, then so be it." the Zordanian who had spoken before said.

The Zordanians then attacked.

The Millennials and Egyptians attacked as well.

Yugi used his sword to block an attack from a Zordanian. He turned and kicked one before he ducked and rammed his shoulder into one. A Zordanian went at him and kicked Yugi in the stomach, causing Yugi to stumble backwards. Yugi recovered and managed to duck in time, and he rammed his shoulder into the Zordanian. He brought his sword down into a Zordanian and killed him. The rest of the Zordanians around Yugi went at him.

Heba jumped back out of the path of a sword before he charged forward, ramming the blade of his sword into one of the Zordanians. Heba ducked to avoid another strike. He turned and tripped another Zordanian down. Heba got up and blocked a sword only to be kicked in the back and thrown to the ground. He rolled to the side out of the path of the sword and got to his feet, swinging out with his sword and striking one of the Zordanians.

Joey ran forward and jumped up, flipping over the Zordanians and landing behind them. Joey rammed his sword back into a Zordanian's back, killing the Zordanian. Joey turned and blocked the sword of one before he forced the Zordanian backwards. Joey jumped up to avoid a sword and kicked the Zordanian in the face, throwing the Zordanian backwards. Another Zordanian rammed into Joey from the side and threw Joey off balance. Another one hit Joey and threw him to the ground. Joey jumped up and went back at them.

Malik blocked a sword before he rammed himself into the Zordanian. He then jumped up and kicked a Zordanian in the chest. A Zordanian grabbed Malik from behind, and another Zordanian kicked Malik in the stomach. Malik wrestled himself out of the Zordanians grip before he rammed his elbow back into the Zordanian and grabbed the Zordanian by the arm and then threw the Zordanian into the one that had punched him.

Ryou ducked as a sword went at him before Ryou kicked the Zordanian and threw him backwards. Ryou flipped backwards out of the way of the sword before he turned and kicked a Zordanian in the face. He then rammed the blade of his sword forward and struck the Zordanian in the chest, killing him. A Zordanian charged at Ryou from behind and kicked Ryou so hard in the back that Ryou was thrown down on the ground. Ryou jumped up and continued fighting.

Dartz, Timaeous, Critias, Hermos, Rafael, Valon, Alister, and the other Millennials were having just as much luck against the Zordanians as Yugi, Heba, Ryou, Malik, and Joey were, although they were getting injured a lot more.

The Egyptians, on the other hand, were not fairing well at all.

Aknankanon tried to stop a sword, but it hit him in his arm. He forced the Zordanian back only to be hit again from behind and thrown forward.

Aknaudin stopped a sword, but another grabbed him from behind and threw him down to the ground. Aknaudin moved out of the way before he was hit and got up.

Mahado used his sword to block an attack, but he was hit from behind and thrown to his knees. He got up and ducked as a sword went at him. Mahado used the gun to kill one, but he was knocked backwards.

Shada was able to block a sword, but he was grabbed from behind and thrown into a wall. He got up and forced another Zordanian back, but he had more surrounding him.

Isis, Karim, Marik, Bakura, and Seto were having better luck than the other.

Isis was able to use the sword she had and forced a Zordanian back. Another came at her and tried to strike her. The Millennium Necklace glowed, and a beam shot out from it, hitting several of the Zordanians and surprising Isis.

Isis looked down at the glowing item. 'Maybe we do stand a chance after all.' Isis thought.

Marik blocked a sword and forced the Zordanian back. He then turned and grabbed another Zordanian, throwing it into another one. Another Zordanian kicked Marik in the stomach and sent Marik stumbling backwards. The Millennium Key then glowed and threw the Zordanian that was attacking him back.

Marik smirked. 'This is good. I like the way this item helps. Maybe we can win with these.' Marik thought.

Karim blocked a sword before he rammed his knee into the Zordanian and then punched the Zordanian in the face. He then turned around and blocked the sword of another one. The Millennium Scales glowed and threw many of the Zordanians around him back.

Karim looked down at the Millennium Scales. 'This could help. Searching for these items wasn't a waste for them after all.' Karim thought.

Bakura jumped up and kicked a man in the face. He then turned and grabbed another Zordanian by his cloak and turned his around in a circle before he sent him crashing into the wall. Two Zordanians charged at Bakura. The Millennium Ring glowed and sent out a blast of magic that threw the Zordanians back.

Bakura smirked. 'I love these items.' Bakura thought.

Seto blocked a sword before he turned and kicked another one back. He used the gun that he had been given to kill another one. Several charged at Seto. The Millennium Rod glowed and several Zordanians were thrown back.

Seto looked down at the Millennium Rod. 'Well, maybe this thing isn't as useless as I thought it was.' Seto thought.

Aknaudin had several Zordanians come at him. The Millennium Eye glowed and sent a blast of magic at several Zordanians, throwing them back.

'This item is much more useful than I originally thought it would be.' Aknaudin thought.

The Zordanian who had ordered the attack saw the Millennium items power. 'No! They have the Millennium items! I thought that they were gone forever.' the Zordanian thought.

Deciding that he would be better off leaving and waiting until later to try, the Zordanian turned and tried to run.

Seeing the Zordanian trying to run, Yugi forced the Zordanians that were around him away before he jumped up and flipped through the air, landing right in front of the retreating Zordanian.

The Zordanian stopped, startled when Yugi suddenly landed in front of him.

"Going somewhere?" Yugi asked.

"Out of my way!" the Zordanian hissed.

"You were the one that wanted to start this, so you should be here to see the end of it, and if you think that I a going to be moving and letting you go, you have another thing coming." Yugi said.

The Zordanian growled. "Do you know who I am?! No one orders me around!" the Zordanian growled.

"No. I don't know who you are nor do I care." Yugi answered.

The Zordanian grew angry. "I am Zenith! I am the leader of the Zordanians, and if you think for a moment that you are going to be able to stop me, you are gravely mistaken." Zenith said.

"I don't care who you are, but I am not going to allow you to just run. You started this battle, so I think that it is only fitting that you be here for when it ends." Yugi said.

Zenith growled. "If that is what you wish, so be it1" Zenith said before he attacked.

Seeing that the Egyptians were having so much trouble, Firestar, Waterstar, Earthstar, Windstar, and Lighteningstar decided to help them out.

Firestar charged forward and jumped at one of the Zordanians. He brought his claws down and ripped the Zordanian to shreds.

Waterstar jumped at a Zordanian that was charging forward at Aknankanon and ripped that Zordanian to shreds.

Lighteningstar jumped into the center of a group of Zordanians and charged forward at them. He managed to kill most of them.

Windstar ran at the Zordanians that were overwhelming Shada and killed them all.

Earthstar jumped at a group of them and killed them all, helping the Egyptian soldiers around them.

The five tigers looked at each other, all wondering the same thing.

* * *

Atemu was working furiously on the Millennium Puzzle that was his. He knew that he didn't have much time left, and the puzzle was only half finished.

'I don't have time to be doing this! Everyone else needs help!' Atemu thought.

Atemu had been having trouble figuring out how the puzzle went as far as the rest of the puzzle went.

Finally, Atemu managed to start figuring it out.

'Thank goodness. Maybe I can get this done in time.' Atemu thought.

Atemu continued working on the puzzle, hoping that he would be able to find a way to finish the puzzle before everything was destroyed.

* * *

Yami was also working on his Millennium Puzzle. He was only about halfway done with it, and he knew that he had a long way to go before he was able to finish it.

'I have to hurry. We don't have time to be doing this. Everyone is depending on us.' Yami thought.

Yami was very frustrated at the moment, and he wanted nothing more than to be finished with it so that he could help the others.

Finally, Yami started to get it, and he was able to start finishing the puzzle faster.

'Good. I just hope that I get this done in time.' Yami thought, knowing that there wasn't a lot of time left.

* * *

Amara was nervously pacing the throne room. She wasn't a fighter so there was nothing that she could do to help.

'Someone help them. Please, don't let our people die. They don't deserve this.' Amara thought.

There was a loud explosion in the center of the kingdom where the battle was.

Amara rushed out into the balcony and looked out at where the battle was going on.

"No. Please don't let anything happen to them. They have to win or everyone will lose if these people have their way." Amara said.

"MOM!"

Amara turned and found Atemu and Yami running over to her.

"What was that?" Yami asked.

"I don't know. Something is wrong. That explosion came from where they were fighting." Amara told them.

"We have to go there now and help them." Yami said.

Amara then noticed that Yami and Atemu were wearing the Millennium Puzzles around their necks. "You finished them!" Amara gasped.

"We just did." Atemu said.

Yami turned to Atemu and said, "Come on, Atemu. We have to go and help everyone else."

Atemu nodded his agreement.

The tow brothers started to leave.

"Wait, you two." Amara said.

Atemu and Yami turned to face their mother.

"Be careful. Both of you." Amara said.

Atemu and Yami hugged their mother.

"Don't worry, Mom. We'll be careful." Atemu said.

"We're all going to come back alive, Mom. You don't have to worry about that." Yami said.

"You had better." Amara said.

The two nodded before they ran out of the throne room.

Amara sighed. 'I hope that they come back safe and sound. I couldn't stand it if I lost any of them.' Amara thought.

Amara turned and looked out the balcony, where the battle was taking place.

* * *

The Zordanians had used their magic as one and were able to cause such a powerful explosion that everyone was thrown down to the ground.

"This is bad." Bakura muttered.

"You think." Seto snapped.

Zenith laughed. "It doesn't matter that you have six of the eight Millennium items. Without all eight of them, you can't stop us. It doesn't matter what you do!" Zenith said.

Yugi looked up. 'Damn it! We're done with! I don't know that we can stop this!' Yugi thought.

Firestar, Waterstar, Windstar, Lighteningstar, and Earthstar all charged at the Zordanians. They were able to take down a few of the Zordanians, but were soon thrown back.

"Why do those Millennial tigers still have their full strength?" one of the Zordanian asked.

"Our magic only drains that of the Millennial humans, but those five tigers can't make much of a difference now." Zenith said.

Heba, Joey, Ryou, and Malik were all around Yugi.

"Yugi, what do we do?" Heba asked.

"I don't know." Yugi said.

"Come on. You have to have an idea." Joey said, managing to get up to his knees.

"I do, but it would require all of the Millennium items, and Yami and Atemu hadn't finished the Millennium Puzzles yet." Yugi said.

"Then we have truly failed." Malik said.

"GUYS!"

The five Millennials looked to see Atemu and Yami running over to where Bakura, Marik, Seto, Karim, Aknaudin, Isis, Aknankanon, and Shada were at.

Yugi's eyes widened. "They completed the Millennium items." Yugi said.

"Yes! We still have a chance!" Joey said.

"Do we, Yugi?" Ryou asked, looking over at his friend.

"Yeah. We still have a slim chance." Yugi said.

* * *

Atemu and Yami had arrived at the battlefield and were surprised to find that every one of their allies were down.

"What happened here?" Yami asked.

"I think that they gained the upper hand." Atemu said.

Both scanned the area and found where their family and friends were.

"Oh no! They're injured!" Yami exclaimed.

"Come on! We have to help them!" Atemu said.

The two started to run forward.

"GUYS!" the two shouted.

Seto, Bakura, Marik, Isis, Karim, Aknaudin, Aknankanon, and Shada all looked to see that Atemu and Yami were running toward them.

"Are all of you okay?" Yami asked as he and Atemu knelt down beside them.

"Oh, we're bloody fantastic! Just look at us! Don't we look great!" Bakura snapped angrily as he glared at them.

"Calm down. This isn't the time to argue." Aknankanon said.

Seto noticed Yami and Atemu's necks. "You were able to complete those puzzles." Seto said.

"Yeah. We just finished them." Atemu said.

"Okay. We have all eight of the Millennium items. Now what?" Marik asked.

Not one of them knew what to do now.

* * *

Zenith wasn't too worried when he saw the other two arrive. He just thought that it wouldn't matter at all.

"Lord Zenith!" one of the Zordanians said.

"What?" Zenith asked, irritated that he was being interrupted.

"They have the last two Millennium items!" the Zordanian said, pointing at Yami and Atemu.

Zenith looked and his eyes widened. 'No! This can't be happening! They shouldn't have been able to complete them!' Zenith thought frantically.

* * *

Yugi saw when Zenith noticed that Yami and Atemu had the Millennium Puzzles, and he knew that they had to act fast. He motioned the tigers over to him.

All five tigers went running over.

"What is it, Master?" Firestar asked.

"Listen. We're running on borrowed time now. I need all five of you to keep the Zordanians preoccupied." Yugi said.

The five tigers nodded.

"What about us?" Heba asked.

"You're coming with me." Yugi answered.

The five tigers went to attack the Zordanians while Yugi and the others ran over to where Yami and the others were.

* * *

"Get them! We have to stop them right now!" Zenith said.

The Zordanians started to attack them only to be stopped by Firestar, Waterstar, Windstar, Earthstar, and Lighteningstar.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Firestar snarled.

"Kill those tigers!" Zenith said, getting angrier by the second.

The Zordanians ran at the tigers, hoping to get rid of them.

* * *

Yugi and the others ran over to where everyone else was at.

"Are all of you okay?" Malik asked.

"For now, but we're running out of time." Isis said.

"There's still a chance, but we're going to have to act fast, and you guys are going to have to learn to really harness the power of the Millennium items in the next few minutes." Yugi said.

"We didn't have time to really learn them, though." Karim protested.

"I know that. I think I can help you, but we're going to have to act fast. We don't have long. I know that Firestar and the others won't be able to hold those Zordanians off for long." Yugi said.

"Maybe we should go and help them." Heba said.

"No. Them using the Millennium items is the first step. We're the second step." Yugi said.

"Then perhaps we should help them."

The group looked to see that Dartz, Timaeous, Critias, and Hermos had come over to them.

"Were you not affected by the magical drainage?" Joey asked.

"Yes. We were affected as you were, but we will hold them off as long as we can. Just do what you need to do and fast. I cannot guarantee that we will be able to hold them off forever." Dartz said.

The three Knights nodded their heads in agreement.

Yugi knew that he was lucky to have people as loyal to him as these four were to be willing to put their lives on the line to allow them the chance they needed to end the madness that they were currently facing. "All right, and thank you." Yugi said.

The four nodded before they ran off to face the Zordanians as well.

Yugi turned back to the group. We don't have much time. We have to act fast, and we have to act now." Yugi said.

Everyone nodded, understanding the importance of what they were going to be doing.

* * *

"Get off of me you damned tiger!" Zenith shouted as he threw Firestar off of his arm.

Firestar landed on his feet before he charged right back at Zenith. He jumped up at Zenith and brought his claws down across Zenith's face.

Zenith stumbled backwards before he turned to glare at Firestar. "You will pay for that!" Zenith growled. He raised his sword and brought it down only to be stopped the blade of another sword.

Startled, Zenith turned to look into Timaeous's one good eye.

"Not this time, you lowlife" Timaeous snapped. He then forced Zenith's sword up before he kicked Zenith back.

Dart, Hermos, and Critias also forced the Zordanians that they were battling with back as well.

"So, it seems that the great Emperor of the Millennial Kingdom is too scared to face me himself. Typical. He has to send his subjects to fight his battles for him." Zenith sneered.

"My master is not scared! He is scared of no one, least of all you!" Firestar snapped.

"We fight you now because we choose to fight, not because we are forced to." Dartz said.

"We serve our Emperor with pride, and we will gladly lay down our lives for this cause." Hermos added.

"Our loyalty it to him alone, and we will do what we need to in order to give him aid." Critias said.

"We will do this because it is what we want to do to, not because it is what we have to do." Timaeous said.

"Then you will die for this worthless cause!" Zenith said.

The Zordanians then attacked.

* * *

"All right. Do you know what you need to do?" Yugi asked.

"I think so." Atemu said.

"Are you certain that this will work, Emperor Yugi?" Isis asked.

"Honestly, I am not certain about anything at this point, but if anyone here has a better idea, feel free to express it." Yugi said.

No one said a word.

"Okay. Let's do this." Yami said, knowing that there wasn't anyone there who had a better plan than the one Yugi had said.

Yugi, Joey, Malik, Ryou, Heba, Shada, and Aknankanon all backed off.

Atemu, Yami, Bakura, Marik, Seto, Karim, Isis, and Aknaudin all stood in a circle and closed their eyes as they concentrated. The Millennium items started to glow one-by-one until all eight of them were glowing. Then a beam shot out from the eye in each item into the center of the circle. After that, the combined power shot up into the air.

"NNNOOO!" Zenith shouted when he saw the eruption of power.

The eight Egyptians were amazed by the amount of magic that was being released from the items.

"I would not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes." Aknankanon said.

Yugi, Heba, Ryou, Malik, and Joey could feel their magic returning to them.

"It's working." Heba said.

"What does it do?" Shada asked.

"It reverses the affects of the Zordanians' magic. They can't defeat us by weakening our magic now." Yugi said.

"Yeah, but they still have theirs. How do we stop them?" Joey asked.

"The Ziang Kai Mu." Yugi answered.

All four looked at Yugi, startled.

"Are you sure?" Ryou asked.

"Yes. It is the only way to truly defeat them." Yugi said.

"Why is that bad?" Aknankanon asked.

'Because it could kill us." Malik said.

Aknankanon looked at Yugi. "is that wise?" Aknankanon asked.

"It's the only way." Yugi answered.

Sensing their cue, Dartz and the others got out of the way.

The magic from the Millennium items faded.

The eight Millennium item bearers looked at each other, wondering what they should do now.

Yugi, Heba, Joey, Ryou, and Malik then moved forward to face each the Zordanians.

"It's over." Yugi said.

"Not yet." Zenith retorted.

All of the Zordanian were combining their magic together for a great attack.

"Now." Yugi said, putting out his hands.

The other four put their hands on top of Yugi's as they stood in a circle.

"In the face of this great evil-" Yugi said.

"-we call on the ancient power." Heba said.

"Give us the strength we need in this hour-" Ryou continued.

"-and give us our victory." Malik said.

"In the name of the Millennial Kingdom-" Joey said.

"-we five call on you. Defeat this enemy through us. We offer up our lives if that will end this fight!" the five said as one.

A burst of energy was released from their hands and went at the Zordanians.

The Zordanians released their attack as well.

The two attacks collided, causing a massive explosion.

Both sides were caught in it.

"HEBA!"

"RYOU!"

"MALIK!"

"JOEY!"

"YUGI!"

The smoke covered the area, and no one could see anything.

No one knew if the five Millennials had survived.

* * *

Hope you liked it. The point of the Millennium items was that together they could stop the Zordanians from draining their magic, allowing them to defeat them. Just in case anyone was confused.

Next: The aftermath of the battle.

The poll is still up, so please vote if you haven't already.

R&R.


	18. Aftermath

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 18- Aftermath

Everyone was looking at the area where the five had been, frantically looking for them, but seeing no sign of them.

"Where are they?" Bakura said angrily, worried to death about Ryou.

"I don't know. That was a powerful explosion." Isis said.

Atemu, worried for his husband as well as everyone else, ran over to the area, closely followed by everyone else.

A hand reached up and grabbed a part of the rubble before pulling himself up, revealing himself to Heba.

Heba covered his mouth as he started coughing."Heba!" Atemu exclaimed, dropping by his husband. "Are you all right?" Atemu asked.

"Fine." Heba said as he continued coughing.

Joey stood up form under a pile of rubble, rubbing his head. "That was-" Joey started to stumble, but Seto was able to grab his husband before he collapsed to the ground, "fun." Joey finished.

"If you call that fun, remind me never to be around you when there is real danger present." Seto told him.

Joey just shrugged.

There was the sound of more coughing, and everyone looked to see Ryou and Malik walking forward. Both looked like they could just collapse at any moment.

"Ryou! Are you okay?!" Bakura asked frantically as he ran over to Ryou.

"Malik! You okay?" Marik asked as he went over to Malik.

Malik waved him off. "I've had worse things happen to me." Malik said nonchalantly although he looked like hell.

"I'm fine, Bakura. I'll be okay." Ryou assured him.

"Where's Yugi at?" Yami asked.

"Right here." a tired voice said.

Everyone looked to see Yugi walking toward them, holding his arm.

Yugi stumbled a little bit and would have fallen had Yami not managed to catch him by getting his arm around Yugi's waist.

Of the five, Yugi looked the worst.

"Are you okay, Yugi?" Heba asked as he went over to Yugi.

"I've seen better days." Yugi answered.

"You came out better after the fight with Kenshin back in the Millennial Kingdom." Joey remarked.

"So I noticed. I took the brunt of the blast, genius." Yugi said.

"What happened?" Karim asked.

"Since the Zordanians' magic draining power was stripped, we had our full power, and we were able to do the Ziang Kai Mu. In short, it combined all of our magic together into one powerful blast that countered the one that the Zordanians had used." Yugi said.

"Of course, the Ziang Kai Mu is dangerous because the ones using the power could be killed by the blast, so we're lucky." Heba said.

"It could have killed you?!" Atemu shouted.

Heba jumped. "Yes, but there wasn't another choice. Would you rather have the Zordanians back and winning?" Heba asked.

"That's beside the point." Atemu argued.

Mahado looked over the area. "What happened to the Zordanians?" Mahado asked.

"Well, they were caught in the blast, too. Since our magic was stronger, a good bit of the blast hit them. I'm sure that they took a lot more damage then we did. Some are most likely dead, but there may be some that survived." Yugi said.

Dartz walked up. "Pharaoh, perhaps we should send troops to find the surviving Zordanians. It will be easy to tell who were Zordanians." Dartz said.

"I agree." Aknankanon said.

"In the meantime, I think that the rest of us should return to the palace." Isis said.

"Why's that?" Marik asked.

"Because I want to look over these five," Isis said, motioning to the five injured Millennials, "given the injuries that they have."

Joey started to protest.

"Come on, Master. We all know that you were caught in a pretty powerful blast, and it would be safer for you if you would just not argue and let her examine you." Earthstar said.

"That goes for all of you. You all need to be checked over for the injuries that you have." Firestar agreed.

Ryou sighed. "Let's not argue with this. Let's just go and get this over with." Ryou said.

Since no one else wanted to argue, they all agreed.

Yugi, Yami, Atemu, Heba, Ryou, Bakura, Marik, Malik, Seto, Joey, Firestar, Waterstar, Earthstar, Windstar, and Lighteningstar all headed back toward the palace with Isis following them.

Aknankanon turned to Shada, Karim, and Mahado and said, "I want you all to help supervise everything out here. I want the dead of the Egyptians and Millennials brought back for proper burial."

The three nodded.

"What about the Zordanians?" Mahado asked.

"Burn the dead. Take the survivors." Aknankanon said.

Again, the three nodded.

Aknankanon and Aknaudin then headed for the palace as well.

* * *

Amara was thrilled when she saw everyone return to the palace. "You're all okay!" Amara said happily/

"Yes, Mother. We're all fine." Atemu assured her.

"You know that we said we would come back." Yami added.

Amara nodded.

"All right, you five. To the healing chambers." Isis ordered.

Yugi, Heba, Ryou, Malik, and Joey didn't bother to argue as they followed her.

"What is that about?" Amara asked, a little confused.

"That last major explosion was caused by them fighting the Zordanians. They were all caught in it. Even though they all seem relatively okay, Isis just wants to make sure that they are okay, and she's not giving them an option on this." Atemu answered.

"Well, we all know that Isis takes her position as palace healer very seriously. She just is making sure that they are all going to be all right." Amara said.

"Indeed. Isis knows what's best when a person's health is concerned." Aknankanon agreed.

"Perhaps we should go and make sure that they don't cause Isis too much trouble." Yami said.

"That would be more Malik and Joey they we have to do that with. I don't think the others are going to give her any trouble with this." Bakura said as the five started down the hall with the five tigers trailing behind them.

Amara turned to Aknankanon and Aknaudin. "So, is this really over?" Amara asked.

"Yes. It's over. Any Zordanian that is still alive will be dealt with." Aknankanon said.

Amara couldn't have been happier to hear that.

* * *

"I still think that Isis examining us was a waste of time. I am fine!" Joey said after they had left the healing chambers.

Seto rolled his eyes. "Put a sock in it, Puppy. It's over and done with, so there is nothing for you to complain about." Seto said.

The group had gone to the lounge and were now sitting down and relaxing.

"I'm just glad that this mess is over." Ryou said.

"No kidding. No more flying, no more risking our lives for items, and no more fighting those stupid Zordanians." Malik said.

"I think that we're all glad of that." Heba said.

Bakura then glanced around the room and noticed that two were missing. "Hey! Where are Yami and Yugi go?" Bakura asked.

It was then that everyone noticed that the two were, indeed, missing.

"I wonder where they wandered off to." Heba muttered.

Atemu frowned slightly. 'I know I saw them kissing each other back in the Millennial Kingdom. I know that something went on between Yugi and Yami during the time that Yami stayed there. I don't know what exactly, but I do know that something went on. With everything that has been going on, I haven't had the chance to ask him about it, at least not privately.' Atemu thought.

Heba noticed his husband's frown. "Até, are you okay?" Heba asked.

"Huh. Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Atemu said.

Heba clearly didn't believe his husband, but decided not to press the issue at the time.

* * *

Wanting to talk to Yugi and reassure himself that Yugi was okay, Yami had privately asked Yugi to come with him.

Yugi had agreed, and the two had gone to Yami's bedroom.

Once in the room, Yami had pulled Yugi into a tight hug. "I was so worried that I had lost you for good." Yami said into Yugi's neck.

Yugi smiled and wrapped his arms around Yami, holding him. "I'm okay, Yami. You don't have to worry about that." Yugi said.

Yami pulled back and looked down at Yugi. "I know, but I was really scared." Yami said. He may have pulled back from the hug, but his arms were still wrapped tightly around Yugi's waist.

"You're not the only one. I was scared, too." Yugi admitted.

Yami leaned down and kissed Yugi, unable to resist it.

Yugi closed his eyes and kissed Yami back, bring his arms up to wrap around Yami's neck. Yami ran his tongue over Yugi's bottom lip, and Yugi opened his mouth. Yami immediately slipped his tongue into Yugi's mouth and started his exploration. Yugi moaned as Yami made sure to stroke every inch of Yugi's mouth.

Soon, the need for air forced the two to break apart.

"I'm sorry, Yugi, but I just had to do that." Yami said.

Yugi smiled and leaned up to place a chaste kiss on Yami's lips. "Don't worry about it. I understand." Yugi told him.

The two walked over and sat down on Yami's bed.

"You know that I won't be here much longer, Yami." Yugi said quietly.

Yami had Yugi's hand in his, and he tightened his grip on Yugi's hand. "I know that, Yugi. I guess I just want to be with while I have the chance." Yami said, not looking at Yugi. He felt very ashamed that he was so weak.

Yugi reached over and took Yami's chin in his hand, forcing Yami to look at him. "Yami, you don't have to feel bad about that. I understand. I feel the exact same way. I want to be with you as much as I can, but we both know that I'll be gone soon. We both have our duties that we have to fulfill. There's nothing that we can do about it." Yugi said.

Yami smiled sadly at Yugi as tears filled his eyes. "I know, Yugi. I just sometimes feel that it's so unfair that you and I have to be ripped apart when everyone else can be with the one that they love. I just hate it sometimes. You don't know how hard it is to see Atemu and the others so happy together when I know that I can never be with the one that I love." Yami said.

"I know, Yami. It's not easy for me, either. I see couples in the palace everyday, and I feel the exact same pain. We can't help how things have to be." Yugi told him.

Yami nodded as he wiped his tears away. "I know. I just can't help the way that I feel." Yami said.

"I know, Yami. I know." Yugi said as he pulled Yami into a hug.

Yami hugged Yugi back tightly, not wanting to let go. He wanted so badly to just be able to stay with Yugi forever, but he knew that that wasn't possible.

Yugi understood why Yami was holding onto him so tightly, and he was holding on just as tightly for the same reason.

* * *

A little while later, everyone had gathered together in the meeting room.

"I thought that you would all like to know that all of the bodies have been recovered from the battlefield." Aknankanon said. He turned to Yugi and said, "Emperor, I am certain that you wish for the bodies of your fallen soldier to return to you kingdom."

"Yes. I want them to receive a proper burial there." Yugi said.

"We have anticipated that." Aknankanon said.

"What about the Zordanians?" Atemu asked.

"Almost all of them were killed. In fact, only two were found alive, but they were severely injured." Aknankanon said.

"Actually, Pharaoh, only one is now alive." Isis said.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"One of them died about forty minutes ago." Isis told them.

"I wasn't aware of that. Then there is only one that is alive." Aknankanon said.

"What will happen to him?" Yami asked.

"That hasn't been determined yet." Aknankanon said. He looked at Yugi and said, "I'll want to discuss that with you."

"Pharaoh, you don't have discuss what you decide to do to this one with me. It is your kingdom that they endangered. My kingdom was never threatened." Yugi said.

"If that is what you wish." Aknankanon said.

"So, this whole mess is over with now, right?" Marik asked.

"As far as I know, it is." Aknankanon answered.

Everyone seemed to be more relieved now that they knew the war with the Zordanians was over now.

"What do we do with the Millennium items now? We have no use for them now." Aknaudin said.

Aknankanon then looked at Yugi. "The items are from your kingdom. The decision is up to you, Emperor." Aknankanon told him.

"The truth is that my kingdom has no use for the Millennium items, Pharaoh. They were chosen as the owners of the items, so no one else can access the power of the items. The powers that items have can actually aid you in other ways." Yugi said.

"How so?" Aknaudin inquired.

"From what we learned in the book, the items can be used to find out the good and evil in a person's heart, if they're lying or not, and so forth." Seto said.

Aknankanon looked surprised. "They can?" Aknankanon asked.

The nods confirmed what was said.

"Then if you wish them to keep the items, I think that we will." Aknankanon said.

Amara then looked at Isis. "Are they all right?" Amara asked, referring to the five Millennials who Isis had examined.

"We are right here, so you can ask us." Malik said.

"Malik, stop it." Heba told him.

"They all appear to be fine. No serious injuries, but I decided to just run some tests on them just to make sure that nothing I couldn't see was wrong." Isis said.

"And all of the tests came out fine, right?" Joey asked.

"Well, mostly." Isis said.

"MOSTLY?!" everyone exclaimed.

"Isis, what's wrong with them?" Bakura demanded.

"It's not all of them. Only one of them." Isis said.

"Who?" Amara asked, now worried for them.

"Well, it's Heba." Isis said.

All eyes then turned to Heba.

"Me?" Heba squeaked.

"What's wrong with him?" Atemu asked, now extremely worried for his husband.

"Well, I have no idea how something like this is possible, but he's pregnant." Isis said simply.

All of the Egyptians just sat there looking stunned.

"P-pregnant?" Atemu said shakily.

Isis nodded in confirmation.

"How is that even possible?" Bakura asked.

The five Millennials looked at the Egyptians.

"You mean, you didn't know." Yugi said.

"Know what?" Seto demanded.

"Well, I guess it was too much to expect that Kenshin would have told them about that little detail of us." Joey said.

"What detail?" Atemu asked.

Yugi sighed. "It's sort of a safety defense for Millennials. All men in the Millennial Kingdom have the ability to have children. That way, if the Emperor or even the head of a family were to prefer men over women, they were still able to have an heir." Yugi explained.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us that?!" Marik shouted.

Malik glared at him. "Maybe because we foolishly thought that Kenshin would have told you that little detail." Malik said.

"Well, he didn't." Bakura muttered.

"Still, because of the way our biology is, we can't even conceive until after we turn eighteen. That's men or women. I don't see why it happened now." Heba said.

"Heba." Yugi said.

Heba turned to look at his brother.

"Our eighteenth birthday was three months ago." Yugi said.

"Oh." Heba said. He smiled sheepishly. "With all that we went through getting the Millennium items, I didn't even think about the fact that it was our birthday." Heba said.

Atemu had turned slightly pale. He had thought that he and Heba would just adopt children, but when they had been married for a while. He had just been thrown this hurtle, and he didn't know how to handle it.

Aknankanon saw his son's paleness and knew that Atemu needed to talk to Heba alone now. "I think that we have covered everything. You can all go." Aknankanon said.

Atemu didn't waste any time in dragging Heba out of the room.

"What was that about?" Bakura asked.

"Atemu just found out that he's going to be a father. I think that he's in shock and needs to talk to Heba about this." Aknankanon answered.

"Well, better him than me." Marik said.

"You know that it could be you one day." Malik said.

"It had better not be any time soon." Marik muttered.

Yami glanced over at Yugi. 'Children? That would have been nice.' Yami thought.

* * *

"How the hell did you get pregnant?!" Atemu exclaimed.

Heba crossed his arms over his chest from where he sat on their bed. "Atemu, please don't tell me I have to explain how babies are born with you because I swear that I will slug you here and now. After that, I'll drag you to your father and have him explain it again." Heba said.

"I know how it can happen, but I mean-I just-Ahh! I don't know what I'm trying to say!" Atemu said as he collapsed face first on the bed.

Heba sighed as he rubbed soothing circles on Atemu's back. "I know that we didn't expect this to happen, but we're just going to have to deal with the fact that we are going to be parents now, and there is nothing that we can do to stop it." Heba said.

Atemu turned to face him. "But when did it happen? I mean, we haven't made love since before this whole mess started." Atemu said.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Heba said. He then thought of something. "Well, there was that time at Mount Fuji and-" Heba trialed off.

Atemu and Heba looked at each other wide-eyed. "Mount Fuji." the two said at the same time.

"I turned eighteen three months ago, and that happened at Mount Fuji two months ago." Heba said, realizing that had to be when it happened.

"I wish you had told me that you could get pregnant." Atemu said.

Heba wrapped his arms around Atemu from behind. "I'm sorry. I honestly thought that my father would have told you, and I never thought about it. I hadn't even remembered that fact until Isis told me that I was pregnant." Heba said.

"Hold it! You were pregnant when that battle was going on!" Atemu exclaimed.

"It's not like I knew. I didn't know until Isis told us back there." Heba said.

Atemu sighed. "I admit that I've always like the idea of having children, and the thought of having them with you is more than I could have hoped for. I just thought that maybe we would wait until we had been married longer." Atemu said.

"I know. I know." Heba said. He began to wonder if maybe Atemu wasn't happy about the baby.

As if sensing his husband's thoughts, Atemu turned to Heba and pulled him into a hug. "Heba, don't think that I'm not happy about this. I'm excited at the thought of being a father. I wasn't sure that I would ever be able to have children of my own since I do prefer men, so I'm really happy about this." Atemu said.

"I'm glad that you feel that way. I was worried that you wouldn't want this." Heba said as he hugged Atemu back.

"Don't ever think that. I am very happy about this. A little sooner than I expected, but I can live with it." Atemu told him.

"Well, that's good. Because you don't have a choice but to get used to is." Heba said.

Atemu laughed. He pulled back so that he could look at Heba's face. "You know, I think that my parents are going to go crazy once the realization that they are going to be grandparents hit." Atemu said.

Heba smiled. "Well, I think that I can handle that." Heba said.

"You don't have a choice." Atemu said, mocking Heba's earlier statement.

"All right. I get it." Atemu told him.

* * *

Later on that day, Aknankanon had decided to go ahead and deal with the last Zordanian that was still alive.

Yugi was there as well.

Only Aknankanon, Amara, and the priests were there.

Given all that they had gone through, they decided that they would allow everyone else to rest.

Yugi had opted to attend because he felt he needed to as the Emperor of the Millennial Kingdom, and Aknankanon had no objection to it since he would want Yugi to extend the same courtesy to him if it had happened in the Millennial Kingdom.

The guards brought the Zordanian, who happened to be Zenith, into the throne room.

Zenith was forced to kneel before Aknankanon and the rest of the Court.

"You have been charged with attacking and trying to destroy the kingdom of Egypt. In our kingdom, such a crime is punishable by death." Aknaudin said.

Zenith glared at them. "Like I care! It won't matter! We will win the next time!" Zenith spat.

"That will be hard to do considering you are the last Zordanian alive." Yugi stated.

Zenith gritted his teeth. He knew that Yugi was right, but he would never admit it aloud.

"For your actions, you will be executed publicly so that the people of Egypt will know that you have been dealt with." Aknaudin said.

"Like I care1" Zenith spat.

"Take him back to the dungeons!" Aknankanon ordered.

The guards then dragged the struggling man away.

"It's odd that he hasn't tried to use his magic to get away." Karim stated.

"He can't. He completely exhausted his magic with the final attack that they tried. Plus, Dartz used a magic stripping spell that stripped him of all magic." Yugi said.

"Good riddance, I say." Shada said.

Everyone nodded their agreement.

* * *

It was getting close to the time for Yugi and the other Millennials to leave.

Yami had pulled Yugi aside.

"Yami, you know I have to go." Yugi said.

Yami smiled. "I know, Yugi. I wish you didn't, but I know that you did." Yami said.

Yugi smiled sadly at Yami. "I'll miss you, Yami." Yugi said.

"I'll miss you, too, Yugi. Please don't forget that I love with all my heart." Yami said as he put a hand against Yugi's cheek.

"I know, Yami. I love you, too." Yugi said.

Yami leaned down and kissed Yugi gently.

Yugi sighed. "I have to go." Yugi said.

Yami nodded.

The two rejoined everyone else, being able to avoid being seen.

"Shall we go?" Dartz asked.

"Yes. It's time that we left." Yugi agreed.

The portal was opened, and after every said goodbye, the group left.

Once more, Yami felt his heart beginning to break. He was having to watch the love of his life walk out of his life again. 'I know that it's not what he wants, but he has no choice, just like I don't have a choice.' Yami thought.

Atemu could see right through his brother's mask. 'He's hurting. I definitely have to talk to him.' Atemu thought.

* * *

After arriving back in the Millennial Kingdom, Yugi went to his room. He had used the excuse that he was tired and needed to rest.

Yugi walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge, starting to cry. He was hurting from having to eave Yami again, too.

Firestar walked into the room and jumped on the bed.

Yugi turned and wrapped his arms around Firestar's neck, crying into his fur.

'I hope Waterstar uses what I told him to help. I think that Master and Yami need it now." Firestar thought.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Just so you know, Zenith is dead.

Next: I know everyone wants Atemu to talk to Yami, so that's what the next chapter is about. Everyone finds out about Yugi and Yami.

The poll is still up, so vote if you haven't.

R&R.


	19. Discovery and Stubbornness

Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 19- Discovery and Stubbornness

It had only been a few hours since Yugi had returned to the Millennial Kingdom.

Yami had gone back to his room right after that since he could feel that his heart was being ripped to shreds again.

The moment that his bedroom door was shut, Yami had let the tears fall down his face. He walked over to his bed and collapsed on the bed. He buried his face in his pillow as he started to cry out his pain and grief. Yami's entire body was shaking from the force of the sobs.

'Damn it! I didn't want to lose him again! I didn't want Yugi to leave me! I can't live without him! I know that now! Why does everything have to be so hard?!' Yami was pretty much screaming to himself by now.

Yami had never known pain like this before. His heart felt like someone had driven a knife into it and were ripping it out pf his body. He felt broken and he knew that there was no way to stop the pain he was in.

Yami didn't hear the knock on the door nor did he hear the door opened.

Atemu had gone to Yugi's room and had been worried when Yami didn't answer his knock since he knew that Yami had gone into his room. Wanting to make sure that his brother was all right, Atemu opened the door and walked into the room. He felt his heart wrench painfully when he saw his brother laying on the bed, crying. Atemu shut the door before he walked over to Yami's bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed before he ran a hand down Yami's back in a soothing motion.

Yami tensed when he felt someone rubbing his back. He turned to find himself looking into his brother's worried-filled crimson eyes. "At-Atemu, what are you doing in here?" Yami asked a little shakily as he sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Do you want to tell me what's gotten you so upset?" Atemu asked.

Yami looked away from him. "It doesn't matter." Yami said.

"Don't even try that with me, Yami!" Atemu snapped, rather angry.

Surprised, Yami turned to look at Atemu.

"Yami, I am not stupid! I know that its Yugi's leaving that has you this upset." Atemu told his brother.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Atemu. Yugi was just a visiting king of another kingdom that aided us in the war. He's a friend. That's it." Yami said, getting off the bed and walking off a little.

Atemu jumped up and grabbed Yami by the arm, turning Yami around to face him. "Don't tell me that bullshit, Yami! I'm not stupid!" Atemu snapped.

Yami glared at him. "Just knock it off, Atemu! There is nothing for you to know because there is nothing to be upset about! It's not about Yugi!" Yami said angrily.

"Yami, I saw you two back in the Millennial Kingdom. When we went and found out about the Millennium items, I saw you two kissing each other." Atemu said more calmly.

Yami looked at Atemu in shock. "Y-you saw that?" Yami asked.

Atemu nodded. "I know that something more went on between you two back in the Millennial Kingdom. Besides, I've been seeing how you are depressed." Atemu said.

"Atemu, you don't understand." Yami said as he wrestled out his brother's grasp.

"Don't understand what? What went on between you two?" Atemu asked.

Yami sighed. "W-we fell in love. We didn't intend for anything like that to happen. We really did just start off as friends, but then it escalated to love." Yami said.

"That explains why I saw you kissing him and why you were so worried about him when that explosion happened back in the battle." Atemu said.

"I didn't want anything to happen to him anymore than you wanted anything to happen to Heba." Yami said.

"Yami, I don't understand why you came back if you were in love with Yugi." Atemu said.

"I had to come back, Atemu. I didn't have a choice." Yami said.

"What do you mean you didn't have a choice?" Atemu demanded.

"Atemu, I have a duty to Egypt! I couldn't turn my back on my homeland!" Yami said.

"But you're not happy." Atemu stated.

"I'm fine. I can get past this." Yami said.

"Really? Yami, I have never seen you cry for any reason as long as we both have been here. I find you sobbing on your bed, and you think that you can get past this." Atemu said.

"I can, Atemu. I have to." Yami said.

"No, you don't. What you should be doing is going after Yugi." Atemu said.

"I can't! Atemu, don't you get it! I have a duty to Egypt! I can't deny that! I can't dismiss it! I know that I am needed here, and there is nothing that I can do about that! I have to be here! This is my place! This is where I belong!" Yami snapped.

"No, it isn't. You don't belong here. How can you say that you belong here when your heart is somewhere else entirely?" Atemu asked.

"I can live through this. I have to. Yugi and I both knew when we started that relationship that we would have to give it up at some point. We both knew that we could only be together for a limited amount of time. We knew it wouldn't last because we come from two entirely different kingdoms." Yami said.

"What about me and Heba. Or Seto and Joey? Bakura and Ryou? Marik and Malik? We all come from different kingdoms. We are all together and happy." Atemu said.

"Atemu, that is different." Yami said as he started to walk around the room. "You were all forced to get married. You did fall in love, but it was forced." Yami said.

"And we're all very happy now. Yami, just because you two are from different kingdoms doesn't mean that you can't be together." Atemu said.

"Yes, it does. I have a duty to Egypt. I can't fail in that." Yami said.

Atemu sighed. "Yami, I get that, but you're not happy doing this anymore." Atemu said.

"How do you know that?" Yami demanded.

"Because you used to do things with determination and enthusiasm. You don't anymore. You do them with dread, and you don't put your best effort into them. Yami, you don't like your duties when you used to like them." Atemu said.

"It doesn't matter. I knew that this is what would end up happening in the end, so it's not like it's a surprise." Yami said.

"Yami-" Atemu started.

"Atemu, just stop it!" Yami said, turning to glare at his brother. "I can't just drop everything and move! I have responsibilities to the people of Egypt, and I intend to carry them out!" Yami snapped.

Atemu stood up and faced Yami. "All right. You can go on believing this delusion of yours, Yami, but let me ask you this. What happened to duty to yourself? Duty to your heart?" Atemu asked.

Yami stood there stunned at what Atemu had just said.

"Think about that." Atemu said before he turned and walked out of the room without another word.

Yami just stood there. 'Duty to myself? I hadn't thought of that.' Yami thought. He shook his head. 'No. I can't think about that! I have my duty to Egypt, and that's the only one that matters.' Yami thought, although he was still trying to convince himself of that fact.

* * *

Heba was lying on his and Atemu's bed as he read a book on pregnancy that he had gotten from Isis. "I am in so much trouble." Heba said. He was getting rather worried about having a baby now that he had read this book.

The door opened and slammed shut.

Heba jumped and watched as his husband stormed into the room. "Are you okay?" Heba asked.

"No, I am not okay! My brother is complete idiot!" Atemu said.

Heba closed the book and put it aside. "What happened? Did you two get into some kind of argument?" Heba asked.

"Oh, yes, and I would love to kill him! I could your brother, too, for that matter." Atemu said.

"Why do you want to kill my brother, too?" Heba asked.

Atemu turned to look at his husband. "Heba, when Yami was staying in the Millennial Kingdom for those six months, he and Yugi fell in love, and they started a relationship." Atemu said.

"What?" Heba said, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Yeah. They basically had a short relationship because Yami felt he had a duty to Egypt, and Yugi has a duty the Millennial Kingdom. That's why they broke up. Those two are as in love as you and I are." Atemu said.

"I knew something was up with Yugi. He acted on edge since we were back. That must have been what it was." Heba said.

"I wouldn't doubt it. This is killing Yami. He wants to be with Yugi more than anything, and he just won't go because he thinks that hid duty to Egypt is more important than his duty to his own heart." Atemu said.

"Well, Yami and Yugi didn't have the pleasure of being forced into marriage like us." Heba said.

Atemu glanced at Heba. "You know, at the start of the marriage, neither one of us would have called it pleasure." Atemu said.

"Okay. So we weren't happy with it at the start, but we are now. Yami should be true to himself." Heba said.

"You know, I think that we're going to need a little extra help with this problem." Atemu said as he lay down on the bed, putting his head in Heba's lap.

Heba started to run his fingers through Atemu's hair. "What did you have in mind?" Heba asked.

"I'm not exactly sure. I just know that Yami can be a stubborn ass, and I know that it'll take more than me to convince him of the fact that he should go to Yugi." Atemu said.

"Let me ask you this. If your parents knew that Yami was in love with Yugi, what do you think they would do?" Heba asked.

"Well, after my dad stopped yelling at Yami for being so stupid for leaving Yugi because he felt that he had a duty to Egypt, Dad would tell Yami that he should go back to Yugi." Atemu said.

"There's the answer to what we need to do." Heba said.

Atemu rolled over onto his back so that he was looking up at Heba. "What are you talking about? What is the answer?" Atemu asked.

"Sometimes, I question your intellect." Heba said.

"Meaning?" Atemu asked, not really taking the insult seriously.

"Atemu, what I mean is that we need to tell your parents about this. They might be able to convince Yami to go after Yugi." Heba said.

Atemu sat up suddenly. "Heba, you're a genius!" Atemu said, grabbing Heba and hugging him tightly.

"Atemu. Can't. Breathe!" Heba said.

"Sorry." Atemu said, letting go. "But really, it's a great idea. Maybe Mom and Dad can help convince Yami otherwise." Atemu said.

"Okay. I'm glad that you got that." Heba said.

"Come on. We need to tell them now." Atemu said. He grabbed Heba by the wrist and practically dragged him out of their bedroom.

* * *

Aknankanon and Amara were in the lounge with Seto, Joey, Bakura, Ryou, Marik, and Malik relaxing after all that they had been through.

"At least we have a time of peace now." Amara said.

"I agree. We really need it." Aknankanon said.

"You cheated!" Marik shouted.

"I did not cheat! You're just lousy at this game!" Malik retorted.

"How the hell did you manage that?!" Joey shouted.

"Because I'm a better chess player that you!" Seto snapped.

"Than again, there's never really a time of peace in this palace with these boys around." Amara said.

"Indeed." Aknankanon agreed, watching as two couples argued and the other one was making out.

The door to the lounge opened, and Atemu and Heba came in.

"Hi, boys. Come to join the party?" Aknankanon asked.

"No, Dad. I need to talk to you and Mom. It's rather important." Atemu said.

"Oh. What is it about?" Aknankanon asked.

Heba shut the door so that no one would hear them.

"It's about Yami." Atemu said.

"Is he all right?" Amara asked.

"No. not really." Atemu said.

"WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!" Amara shouted.

Everyone jumped.

"Mom, calm down! He's not physically hurt." Atemu said.

"Then has something gotten him upset?" Aknankanon asked.

"Oh, yeah. It's about Yugi and Yami." Atemu said.

Waterstar instantly perked his ears up. He looked up and said, "You know about that?"

"You know?" Atemu and Heba asked at the same time.

"Yes. Firestar told me everything before he left with Emperor Yugi." Waterstar answered.

"Firestar knew?" Heba asked incredulously.

"Yes. He was the only one that knew." Waterstar answered.

"Knew what?! What went on between Yami and Yugi?!" Aknankanon demanded, wanting to know what had gone on with his son and the Millennial Emperor.

"In short, while Prince Yami was staying there for six months, Prince Yami and Emperor Yugi started a relationship, but because Yami had to return to Egypt, they had to break things off. Emperor Yugi had to remain in the Millennial Kingdom rule, and Prince Yami felt that he had a duty to Egypt and had to return. Now, they're both pretty much miserable because they want to be together, but feel like they can't because of the duties that they are bound to in each other their kingdoms." Waterstar explained without taking so much as one breath.

Every jaw dropped, except for Atemu and Heba's since they already knew.

"They were involved!" Aknankanon exclaimed.

"And they never told us!" Amara added.

"I don't think they wanted anyone to know. I mean, both felt like they had to leave, so it's not that surprising that they didn't tell anyone." Atemu said.

"Have you talked to your brother at all about this, Atemu?" Aknankanon asked, turning to look at his oldest son.

"Yeah. I actually went and confronted Yami about it before I told Heba what I knew." Atemu replied.

"How did you find out if no one told you?" Seto asked.

"Well, when we went to the Millennial Kingdom when we found out about the Millennium items, I noticed that Yami and Yugi had disappeared, so I went to find them, and I saw them kissing. Because of what was going on, I couldn't talk to Yami about it until now." Atemu said.

"Why not on the plane? You had plenty of time then." Ryou said.

"I wanted to talk to him about in private. That wasn't something I was going to talk to him about in front of a crowd of people." Atemu said.

"With Yami, that was the best idea." Aknankanon agreed.

"I never thought that Yami would do this. He should have known that we wouldn't mind him being in love with Emperor Yugi. We would have let him go and stay with him." Amara said.

"I think he feels like he needs to follow through with his duties to Egypt." Atemu explained.

Aknankanon sighed. "This is entirely my fault then." Aknankanon said.

"What do you mean?" Bakura asked.

"Never mind. Atemu, where is Yami now?" Aknankanon asked.

Atemu glanced at his watch. "Well, an hour ago I left him in his room. He was pretty upset, so I would say that he is most likely still there." Atemu said.

"Come on, Amara. We have some things that we need to straighten out with him." Aknankanon said.

The two then left the room.

"Should someone go with him?" Marik asked.

"I'll go. It's my brother that he's having to talk to." Atemu said.

"I'll go with you." Heba said.

The two then left the room.

"Wow. Yugi and Yami. That's one that I didn't see coming." Joey said.

"You don't see most of what happens, coming." Seto said.

"Oh, knock it off!" Joey snapped.

"No." Seto said calmly.

"I hope that they can get Yami to go back. I mean, if they are really in love, then they deserve to be together." Ryou said.

"No kidding." Malik said.

"Well, that won't be easy because Yami can be a stubborn ass when he wants to be." Bakura remarked.

"Yeah. It'll be hard for even all four of them together to manage to convince Yami to go back." Marik stated.

* * *

Yami was sitting on his bed. He was thinking about what Atemu said. 'I know that I should stay here, but I want to go back. I want to be with Yugi, even if that means leaving Egypt permanently. I want to be with him.' Yami thought. His duty-centered mind then crept back up. 'But I have a duty to Egypt as well. I have to be loyal to it. I have duties that I have to perform, and I can't change that fact.' Yami thought.

Sighing, Yami stood up and walked out onto the balcony. 'What do I do? I know that Atemu won't let this rest. I want to be loyal to Egypt, but at the same time, I have to be true to myself. But being true to myself and my duty to Egypt are two entirely different things.' Yami thought.

Once more, Yami's mind was filled with visions of Yugi. It was all that Yami could really think about at the moment.

There was a knock on Yami's door.

'If that's Atemu again, I swear that I'm making sure he doesn't get in here.' Yami thought. He walked over, opened the door, and was surprised to find that his parents were outside. "Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?" Yami asked.

"We needed to talk to you, Yami. It's rather important." Aknankanon said.

"Can we come in?" Amara asked.

Yami noticed that Atemu and Heba had walked up behind his parents. 'They know.' Yami thought. Remembering his mother's request, Yami said, "Sure." He stepped aside so that everyone could come into his room.

Atemu and Heba decided to stand off to the side and let Aknankanon and Amara talk to Yami.

'I hope that Mom and Dad can do some good. I really want Yami to be happy, and I know that he won't be happy unless he's with Yugi.' Atemu thought.

"Yami, Atemu told us that you and Emperor Yugi started a relationship when you were staying in the Millennial Kingdom for six months. Is this true?" Aknankanon asked. He knew that Atemu was telling the truth. He just wanted to hear Yami say it.

'Atemu is dead for this.' Yami thought. Yami sighed and said, "Yes, Dad. It's true."

"Yami, why didn't you tell us?" Amara asked.

"Because it wasn't important, Mom." Yami said.

"Not important?! I don't call being in a relationship that probably went on for months not important, Yami!" Aknankanon said.

Yami jumped slightly, started at his father's raised voice. "Dad, it was in the past. I came back, so I had to move on from it." Yami said.

"Yami, you just don't move on when you love someone. Did you love Emperor Yugi?" Amara asked.

Yami opened his mouth to answer.

"I want an honest answer." Amara added sharply.

Yami sighed again. "Yes. I did love him. Still do." Yami admitted.

"Then why didn't you just tell us that and stay with him?" Aknankanon asked.

Yami sat down on his bed. "Dad, I couldn't just leave Egypt. I mean, I have duties to Egypt. I couldn't just turn my back on my people." Yami said.

"Yami." Amara said as she sat down beside her son. "You have a right to be with the one that you love. No one is asking you to give him up. I can tell that him leaving is bothering you. You don't deserve to live unhappily, and neither does Emperor Yugi." Amara said.

"But-" Yami started.

Aknankanon sighed. "Yami, I believe part of the reason that you feel that you cannot leave is my fault." Aknankanon said.

"Dad, this isn't your fault." Atemu said.

"Yeah. I have duties that I can't ignore." Yami said.

"No, Yami. You don't. You know that you have a handful of duties as does Atemu." Aknankanon told them.

"We know, Dad. Yami and I both have duties as Princes of Egypt." Atemu said.

"No, you don't. The duties that the two of you carry out are duties that are supposed to be solely by the Crown Prince. Those combined duties were supposed to be the ones that Atemu was supposed to carry out." Aknankanon said.

"They were?" Yami asked.

Aknankanon nodded. "When I was the Crown Prince, I had to carry out al those duties, and it left very little time for myself. I wasn't able to have fun like I wanted to when I was younger because of the duties that I had. I hated that, so when you were born, Yami, I decided that I would split the duties between you so that both of you would be able to have a little bit of fun in your lives. I may have misled you into thinking that these were duties that were meant for you." Aknankanon said.

"Dad, that doesn't change the fact that I have a duty to Egypt. I can't just abandon my homeland because of this." Yami said.

"That's exactly why you can to do it. Yami, you have no real duty to Egypt. Those duties are supposed to be carried out by Atemu, and I know that he will carry them out." Aknankanon said.

"Of course I will." Atemu said.

"Yami, you're unhappy like this, and we don't want you to live your life being this unhappy. It's not good." Amara said.

"Mom, I can't just leave. This is my home." Yami said.

"Yami." Heba said.

Yami turned his attention to his brother-in-law.

"People do sometimes find new homes to live in. I did. Maybe the change wasn't easy, but I was able to make it, and I am happy now. I know that I wouldn't be happy in the Millennial Kingdom apart from Atemu now. I wouldn't be able to stand it." Heba said.

"But-" Yami started.

"Yami, you have heard the phrase 'home is where the heart is', haven't you?" Heba asked.

"Of course I have." Yami said.

"Did you ever think that maybe that phrase is true?" Heba asked.

Yami looked down.

"Yami, your mother and I don't want you to be unhappy. You aren't happy. We can tell that. If being with Emperor Yugi makes you happy, then by all means, go to him." Aknankanon said.

"Yes." Amara said, taking her son's hand in her own. "Go on. You and Yugi are happy together, and we aren't going to hold you back. Don't let yourself be unhappy because of this." Amara said.

"I can't." Yami said, getting up and walking away from her. "I just can't do that. My place is here." Yami said.

"You can't really mean that." Amara said.

"Yes, I do. I can't just leave. It would be unfair to everyone. I have to stay here." Yami said.

"Yami, if you stay here then you are just going to be miserable. You and Emperor Yugi both will be miserable." Amara said.

"Mom, I know what I have to do, and I need to stay here. Yugi and I knew before we even started a relationship that it would end. We knew that it wouldn't last. It wasn't something unexpected. There's no point in me going back." Yami said stubbornly, sitting down in a chair.

Amara and Aknankanon looked at each other, knowing that there was no way they could convince their son to go, and they couldn't force him to.

Atemu sighed. 'Well, they tried, but Yami's just too stubborn for his own good.' Atemu thought.

Heba decided that it was time for him to step in and say something. He started to walk over to where Yami was.

'I hope Heba knows what he's doing.' Atemu thought.

Heba knelt down in front of Yami and covered Yami's hand with one of his own. "Yami." Heba said.

Yami looked up into Heba's amethyst eyes.

"No one can tell you what you should do. You have to make this decision on your own, so I'm not going to tell you that you should go or you should stay. I am, however, going to ask you to think about this. What will you regret more: going to be with Yugi and leaving everyone here behind or remaining here and giving up what you could have with Yugi? Just think about that." Heba said.

Yami was stunned by Heba's words.

Heba then formed a medallion that would allow Yami to go to the Millennial Kingdom, which he pressed into Yami's hand. "Whatever you decide, make sure you can live with it. Just be true to your heart when you make this decision, Yami." Heba said. He then left the room.

"Well, I think that that says just about all of it. I hope that you're decision is one that you can live with, Yami." Atemu said.

Aknankanon and Amara followed their oldest son out the door.

* * *

"That was productive." Atemu said as they walked down the hall.

"I know. I can't believe that he's so stubborn." Amara said.

"Well, we all know how Yami is. He just won't listen. I wish I had never split the duties now." Aknankanon said.

"Dad, you can't blame yourself. You didn't know that this would happen." Atemu said.

"He's right. Yami is the only one to blame." Amara agreed.

"I wish that I could believe that." Aknankanon said.

Atemu glanced at Heba. "That was actually some good advice that you gave Yami, Heba." Atemu said.

"Well, this is his choice, so no one has the right to make the final choice except for him. He also needs to look at what he's giving up and what he would gain in both scenarios. I just hope that he does make the right choice." Heba said.

"So do I." Atemu said.

"Well, we just have to wait and see what he does decide on in the end." Amara said.

* * *

Yami starred down at the medallion Heba had given him. 'I can go to the Millennial Kingdom and be with Yugi, but can I really give up Egypt? I feel like I am betraying my homeland.' Yami thought.

Yami knew that he had a duty to Egypt. He knew that he couldn't leave. He had to remain there and be the Prince.

'But Yugi means so much to me. I want to be with him. I know that I do. Just what pain I have felt so far tells me that. Atemu's right. I'm miserable without him.' Yami thought.

Yami wanted Yugi. He wouldn't deny that. He hated being apart from the tri-haired Emperor. He loved Yugi with all his heart, and he wanted to be with him.

'What do I do? I have to choice between my people and the love of my life. I don't know that I can really do that.' Yami thought.

Yami tightened his fingers around the medallion as he contemplated everything.

'Damn it! Why does this have to be so hard?' Yami asked himself.

"_I love you, too. No one will ever take your place._" (1)

"_What will you regret more: going to be with Yugi and leaving everyone here behind or remaining here and giving up what you could have with Yugi?_"

'What will I regret more?' Yami asked.

Remembering that statement made Yami start to think about what Heba said. He started wondering what he would regret more.

'This is my choice, and I have to make it.' Yami thought.

'_Whatever you decide, make sure you can live with it. Just be true to your heart when you make this decision, Yami._'

'I need to be true to myself.' Yami thought.

That was it.

Yami knew what he would choose.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Sorry for making Yami so stubborn, but he has to be stubborn. It's part of who he is in my opinion.

(1)- this is a quote that I took from chapter 7 of this story.

Next: You find out what Yami chose.

I've taken down the poll. I'm going to revamp the summary for that story and put up a new poll.

R&R.


	20. I Choose You

Here's the next chapter.

There is a lemon between Yugi and Yami in this chapter, so skip the writing between the bold if you don't like that kind of thing. **YOU WERE WARNED!!!**

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 20- I Choose You

A storm was raging in the Millennial Kingdom. The wind was howling, the thunder was so loud it seemed to shake the ground, the lightening flashed bright enough to light up the entire kingdom, and it was raining so hard that it was next to impossible to see anything.

However, the storm raging in the kingdom was nothing compared to the storm that was raging in Yugi's heart.

Yugi was heartbroken by the fact that he had had to leave Yami again. Yugi loved Yami with all his heart, but he knew that their duties forced them to be apart. He knew that they couldn't be together.

But that didn't stop the pain.

Yugi was crying into his pillow as his heart was being ripped apart. 'Why does it have to hurt so much? I knew that I would have to leave Yami, so why does it have to hurt this much?' Yugi asked himself.

Firestar lay on the bed with Yugi, watching his master cry. The tiger could feel his heart wrench painfully as he watched his master cry out his pain. 'Oh, master. I wish that there was something that I could do, but there is nothing that I can do about this. This is something that no one can help him with.' Firestar thought, knowing that there was only one thing that would help Yugi in this situation.

Unable to stand being there any longer, Yugi sat up and got dressed, though not as fancily as he did when he was about during the day.

"Master?" Firestar questioned as Yugi went to the door.

"I'm going for a walk, Firestar. I would rather be alone." Yugi said before he left the room.

Firestar sighed. He knew that that meant that Yugi didn't want him to follow him. After waiting a few moments, Firestar got off the bed and followed Yugi out the door.

Just because Yugi wanted to be alone didn't mean that Firestar would stray that far from him. He would be close by in case something happened, and Yugi needed his help for any reason.

* * *

The palace looked dead.

It was the middle of the night in the Millennial Kingdom. No one was up except for Yugi who was currently roaming the palace.

It was too much for Yugi to be in his room because he and Yami had spent so many wonderful nights together. It was just too much.

'I can't do this. I want to be with Yami. I don't know if I am going to be able to handle being apart from him for the rest of my life.' Yugi thought as the tears started to come again.

Coming to the gardens, Yugi walked out into them, completely ignoring the storm that was raging on. Yugi was now getting soaking wet, but Yugi couldn't care less.

Standing in the storm, Yugi looked up at the night sky. 'I suppose I am doomed to be alone.' Yugi thought, knowing that no one would be able to take his place.

* * *

A bright lit filled the palace, and Yami entered the palace. He looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he was, indeed, in the Millennial Kingdom.

'Yugi, I'm here, and I'm not going to be leaving you again.' Yami thought. He started down the hallway toward Yugi's room.

On the way, Yami ran into Firestar.

"Yami! What are you doing here?!" Firestar asked, startled to see him there.

"I'll explain later. I need to see Yugi. There's something that I need to tell him." Yami said as he started down the hall.

Firestar ran and got in front of Yami. "He's not in his room." Firestar said.

"Where is he?" Yami asked.

"Why are you making this harder for him, Yami? It's hard enough on him for you two to leave each other as it is." Firestar said, not wanting to make it any harder on his master than he had to.

"I know, Firestar. It was hard for me to, but that doesn't matter now. I've decided that I'm going to stay here." Yami said.

"You are?" Firestar asked, surprised.

Yami nodded. "I would rather spend the rest of my life here with Yugi than stay in Egypt and be miserable." Yami said.

This made Firestar very happy. "As I said, Master Yugi is not in his room. He's out in the gardens." Firestar said.

"The gardens?" Yami asked. He turned and looked outside to see it raining in torrents and a flash of lightening lighted the sky followed by a loud crash of the thunder and the howling of the wind.

"I'm afraid so. Rain or shine, when he's upset, he goes out there." Firestar said.

Yami then started to go out into the gardens.

Firestar watched him go with a smile on his face. 'This is great! I don't know what happened to make Yami change his mind, but I'm glad that he did. Now, neither one of them have to suffer.' Firestar thought, knowing that this is what was meant to happen.

* * *

Yugi was still standing in the rain, looking up into the night sky. He was completely soaked, but he couldn't care less. He had no plans on leaving any time soon.

Yugi could feel his heart breaking even more. He just wanted to be with Yami, but he couldn't leave. A quiet sob escaped from Yugi's lips as he said, "I miss you, Yami."

"I know, Yugi. I missed you, too."

Yugi turned around in the rain to find Yami standing behind him. Yugi was surprised at this. "Y-Yami?" Yugi asked, wanting to make sure that he hadn't finally lost his mind.

Yami walked toward him. "Yugi, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Yami said.

"What?" Yugi asked.

"Yugi, I couldn't have been more wrong. I shouldn't have left you in the first place. I should never have left." Yami said.

"You didn't have a choice." Yugi said.

"Yes, I did." Yami said firmly. He walked forward a few more steps until he and Yugi were barely a foot apart. "It was always my choice. I could have stayed before, and I didn't. I should have stayed. I am so sorry, Yugi. I should have stayed here because that's all I wanted to do." Yami said.

"Yami, you had a duty to Egypt. I understand." Yugi said.

"No, Yugi! It's not all right!" Yami said as a loud crash of thunder hit. "It was never all right. I wasn't needed in Egypt. Atemu's the Crown Prince. He's the one that is going to be Pharaoh. I always knew that. I knew that I could have stayed, but I chose not to. This is all my fault. I could have stopped us both from going through all that pain!" Yami said as he also started to cry.

"Yami, what are you saying?" Yugi asked.

Yami reached up and cupped Yugi's face in his hands. "What I'm saying is that I came here for one reason. I can't live without you, Yugi. The first time we separated, it was easy because I had that deal of finding the Millennium items to keep me distracted, but this last time, it nearly killed me. I couldn't stand it, Yugi. All I wanted was to be with you. That's why I made the choice I did." Yami said.

"Yami, there was never a choice." Yugi said.

"Yes, there was, Yugi. There was always a choice. Heba told me something important. He asked me what I would regret more: leaving Egypt to come and be with you or staying in Egypt and giving up everything that we could have had together. That wasn't a hard choice to make once I thought about it." Yami said.

"Yami." Yugi breathed.

"I will always choose you over everyone else. My heart belongs to you, Yugi. No one else. I want to be with you. If it's not too late, I want to stay here with you." Yami said.

Yugi couldn't stop the quiet sob from escaping his lips. "Of course I want you. I want you to stay here, Yami. I don't want to lose you." Yugi said.

"I don't want that, either." Yami said.

Yami then leaned down and captured Yugi's lips with his own. Yugi reached up and wrapped his arms around Yami's neck as he deepened the kiss. Yami then wrapped his arms around Yugi's waist.

Neither cared that the storm was still raging on or that they were both soaked to the bone.

The storms in their hearts had ended, and they were both happy.

When the need for air became too much, the two broke apart.

"I love you, Yugi, and I am not going to leave you ever again." Yami said.

"I love you, too, Yami." Yugi said.

Yami leaned down and kissed Yugi again.

* * *

Firestar watched the scene from within the dry palace. He smiled when he saw the two kiss each other.

'At least I don't have to worry about those two now. I don't know what happened to change Yami's mind, but I'm glad that he's back. They deserve to be together.' Firestar thought.

Knowing that Yugi and Yami would want to be alone for a while, Firestar turned around and walked back into the palace, going to the room that Yami had first found the tigers in during his six-month stay.

* * *

Yugi opened the door to his room, and he and Yami walked into it, dripping wet.

"We are soaked." Yugi said.

"Well, we were out in the storm for a while, and you were out in it a lot longer than I was." Yami said.

"Well, you know that I always go out into the gardens to think." Yugi said.

Yami reached up and brushed some of Yugi's went bags from his eyes. "We're going to have to discuss you going out in the middle of a storm. You don't need to get sick all the time." Yami said.

Yugi smiled. "I get it, Yami." Yugi said.

Yami leaned forward and kissed Yugi again. He broke the kiss, but didn't let his lips move far from Yugi's. "You know, we should probably get out of these wet clothes and dry off before we both get sick." Yami said.

"Yeah. You're probably right." Yugi agreed. He started to take off his shirt, but Yami's hands on his stopped him.

"Let me." Yami said.

Yugi nodded his agreement.

**LEMON STARTS HERE!**

Yami then unbuttoned Yugi's shirt before he pushed the shirt off of Yugi's shoulders and onto the floor at their feet. Yami took in the sight of Yugi's bare chest before he leaned down and kissed Yugi.

Yugi closed his eyes and moaned into the kiss. He raised his hands to take off Yami's shirt, but his hands came into contact with the Millennium Puzzle. Taking hold of the chain, Yugi broke the kiss so that he could take the puzzle from around Yami's neck and placed it on the table near him.

Yami then pulled Yugi back into a kiss.

Yugi then unbuttoned Yami's shirt before he pushed the shirt off of Yami and into the floor as well.

Yami's hands were exploring Yugi's wet, bare back, relishing in the feeling of having his lover back in his arms, for good this time.

Yugi raised his hands and tangled them in Yami's hair, pressing Yami deeper into the kiss.

Yami then broke the kiss before he picked Yugi up bridal style in his arms.

"Yami?" Yugi asked as he looked up into Yami's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Yugi, but I want to feel you again." Yami said softly.

Yugi could see the love in Yami's eyes. Love overpowered the lust, but it was clear that Yami wanted Yugi.

"That's what I want, too." Yugi said.

Yami then walked over to the bed and gently placed Yugi on the bed before he climbed onto the bed with Yugi, straddling Yugi at the waist. He leaned down and kissed Yugi again.

Yugi moaned and immediately opened his mouth.

Yami slipped his tongue inside of Yugi's mouth, starting to explore his lover's cavern. When Yami broke the kiss, he started to lay light kisses on Yugi's jaw and started to trail them down his neck.

Yugi moaned and leaned his head backwards, giving Yami more room.

Grateful for the room, Yami started to kiss down kiss down Yugi's neck. When Yami reached Yugi's pulse point, he started to suck on Yugi's neck, drawing an even louder moan from Yugi. When Yami was done, he left a nice bruise.

"Now, everyone will know that you're mine." Yami told Yugi softly.

Yugi shivered slightly at the warm breath on his neck. "It won't be long before everyone knows that anyway." Yugi replied.

Yami chuckled. "That may be true, but I want to make sure that they know." Yami said.

Before Yugi could say anything more, Yami continued with his actions. He started to kiss down Yugi's chest, making sure to kiss, lick, and nip at every inch of Yugi's pale skin.

When Yami reached one of Yugi's nipples, he brought the little nub into his mouth, starting to suck on it.

"Yami!" Yugi exclaimed.

Yami ignored the cry as he continued to suck on the little nub until it was hard. When he was done, Yami pulled away and blew gently on the nub, causing Yugi to shiver lightly. He then turned his attention to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment.

Once he was done with the nipples. Yami continued down his path on Yugi's body.

Yugi moaned as felt Yami place kisses down his stomach.

When Yami reached Yugi's naval, he dipped his tongue in several times before he continued on.

Not being able to go any further, Yami sat up and took Yugi's boots and socks off before he threw them to the floor. He then reached forward and started to undo Yugi's belt. "I don't think that you're going to be needing these anymore tonight." Yami said as he pulled Yugi's pants and boxers off and threw them into the floor as well.

Yugi shivered as the cool air hit his semi-erect member.

Yami smiled before he reached out and ran his finger down the underside of Yugi's member.

Yugi shivered at the contact.

Smiling, Yami wrapped his hand around Yugi's member and started to pump Yugi.

"Yami!" Yugi groaned as he felt the hand pump him.

Yami smirked and started to pump Yugi even harder.

"Ah! Yami!" Yugi cried, arching his back a little.

Yami then stopped pumping him, much to Yugi's disappointment. Yami placed his hands on Yugi's hips before he leaned down and licked the tip of Yugi's member, tasting the pre-cum that had leaked.

"Yami!" Yugi groaned, trying to buck up.

Yami chuckled. "What what is it, Yugi?" Yami asked.

"Yami, please." Yugi said in a pleading tone.

"Please what?" Yami asked.

"Yami, please. Go on." Yugi said, getting desperate. He really wanted to feel Yami suck him off.

"Say it, Yugi. What is it that you want me to do?" Yami asked, wanting to hear Yugi beg him for it.

"I want you, Yami. Please. Suck me." Yugi said.

Yami smirked. He then leaned down and took the tip of Yugi's member into his mouth.

"Ah! Yami!" Yugi cried as he reached down to grasp the sheets in his hands.

Yami then started to suck lightly on Yugi's member, wanting to dram it out. He then started to bob his head up and down on Yugi's member, making sure to let his teeth graze the heated flesh.

"Ah! Yami! Please! Don't tease me!" Yugi begged.

Yami had wanted to draw this out, but hearing his lover plead with him was too much for him to resist. He then started to suck on Yugi's member hard.

"AH!" Yugi cried as he tightened his grip on the sheets.

Yami wanted to taste Yugi again, so he started to suck even harder on Yugi, wanting to make him come.

"Ah! Y-Yami, I-I can-can't hold I-it much l-longer." Yugi said, panting.

Yami ignored Yugi's words and continued to suck on Yugi.

Reaching his breaking point, Yugi threw his head back and came into Yami's mouth, crying, "YAMI!"

Yami swallowed every drop that Yugi released before he finally let go of Yugi's member.

Yugi was panting and sweating, adding to his already wet skin.

Yami smiled. He then leaned forward to kiss Yugi.

Yugi could taste himself on Yami's lips, and that made him start to get hard again.

Yami then broke the kiss. "Hmm. You taste absolutely divine, Yugi." Yami said.

Yugi blushed. "Stop it, Yami." Yugi said.

"I can't. I just can't help how I feel for you." Yami said.

Yugi smirked. "Then maybe you should remember something." Yugi said.

"What?" Yami asked.

Yami then yelped on surprise as Yugi suddenly pounced on Yami, knocking him onto his back with Yugi straddling his waist.

"That I am stronger than you. And I like to be on top, too." Yugi said.

"Hmm. I think that could get used to that." Yami said, smiling.

Yugi leaned down and kissed Yami quickly before he started to trail kissed down Yami's neck. At Yami's collarbone, Yugi bent down lightly, making Yami yelp in surprise at the sudden pain. Yugi then licked the wound before he continued.

Yugi kissed at every inch of Yami's chest before he circled one nipple with his tongue and then started to suck on the nub.

"Ah! Yugi!" Yami groaned.

Yugi sucked on the nub until it was hard before he turned his attention to Yam's other nipple, giving it the exact same treatment.

Once done, Yugi trailed kisses down Yami's stomach and dipped his tongue in Yami's naval several times.

Yami was already panting lightly from this.

Yugi then sat up and took Yami's shoes and socks off quickly before he undid Yami's belt and took off Yami's pants and boxers, throwing them into the floor with his clothes.

Yugi then straddled Yami's waist.

Yami groaned when he felt their members connect. "What are you-Ah!" Yami was cut off when Yugi suddenly ground their hips together.

"What? I thought you'd like that." Yugi said as he ground his hips into Yami's again, getting Yami to cry out again.

Yugi ground his hips into Yami harder and deeper each time.

"Yugi! Please!" Yami said.

Yugi chuckled. "All right." Yugi said. He then placed his hands on Yami's hips before he leaned down and licked the tip of Yami's member, getting Yami to cry out at the action. He then started to lick Yami's member from tip to base and then back again until he had licked every inch of Yami's member.

By the time Yugi was done, Yami was trembling from his actions.

"What's wrong, Yami?" Yugi asked.

"Yugi, please." Yami begged, needing relief.

Yugi smirked evilly. "I don't know. I rather enjoy torturing you like this." Yugi said.

"Yugi! I can't stand this!" Yami said. He was sure that he had never been harder in his life.

Yugi laughed. "All right then." Yugi said. He had another plan in mind for his lover. He reached over to the table and grabbed the bottle of lube from it. "I'll give you the relief I want. My way." Yugi said.

Yami realized what Yugi wanted and couldn't wait.

"Get on your hands and kneed." Yugi commanded.

Yami did as he was told, turning over on the bed and getting on his hands and knees.

Yugi then opened the lube and dipped three fingers into it before he put the lube aside for now. He circled one finger around Yami's entrance before he slipped it inside.

Yami gasped at the finger inside of him.

Yugi moved the finger around until he was sure that Yami had been stretched enough and added in a second finger.

Yami tensed slightly at this finger.

"Yami, you have to relax." Yugi said.

Yami knew that he was right and forced his body to relax.

Yugi started to move his fingers in a scissor-like motion, stretching Yami. He then added in a third finger. This finger brushed against Yami's prostate.

"YUGI!" Yami exclaimed, arching his back.

Yugi smirked and thrust his fingers into that spot as he stretched Yami even more.

When he saw sure that Yami was ready, Yugi removed his fingers, getting a groan of disappointment from Yami.

Yugi laughed and said, "Don't worry, Yami. I'm not done yet." He took the lube and coated his member in it before he wrapped an arm around Yami's waist and positioned himself at Yami's entrance. "Ready?" Yugi whispered into Yami's ear.

Yami shivered at the breath on his ear and nodded.

Without waiting any longer, Yugi thrust all the way into Yami, striking his prostate on the first try.

"AH! YUGI!" Yami exclaimed.

Yugi remained still, letting Yami adjust.

"Yugi! Move!" Yami hissed.

Yugi did as told and pulled out until only the tip of Yugi's member was left in him before he thrust back in hard.

"Ah!" Yami cried as his prostate was struck rather roughly

Yugi continued with the slow pulling out and the fast thrusting in for a while.

Soon, Yami grew tired of this pace and said, "Yugi, please. Harder. Faster."

Yugi did as requested and pulled out and started to thrust in and out of Yami faster.

"Ah! Yugi! Oh! So good!" Yami groaned.

"Yami! Tight! Hot!" Yugi growled.

The two continued with their fast pace as they both thrust against each other.

Soon, Yami could feel himself reaching his end. "Y-Yugi. I-I'm close." Yami panted.

"I know, Yami. So am I." Yugi answered.

Yugi reached around and grasped Yami's member, starting to pump him in time with his thrusts.

Yami was the first one to reach his end. "YUGI!" Yami groaned as he released all over Yugi's hand and the bed sheets below.

Yugi felt Yami clench around him and he was thrown over the edge as well. "YAMI!" Yugi moaned as he released as well.

**LEMON ENDS HERE!**

The two were tense before they collapsed onto the bed, panting.

Yugi was the first to recover. He sat up and pulled out of Yami. "So, how was that?" Yugi asked.

"Wonderful." Yami replied before he rolled onto his back to look up at Yugi.

Yugi smiled. "I'm glad of that." Yugi said. He then raised his hand to lick off Yamis' release from his hand.

"You tease!" Yami growled.

Yugi smirked at him. "So do something about it." Yugi said.

Yami then had a smirk of his own. "I intend to." Yami said.

Yugi was surprised when Yami jumped on him and pinned him to the bed.

"You've had me. Now, I want you." Yami said.

Yugi smiled. "Go ahead." Yugi said.

**LEMON STARTS HERE!**

Yami grabbed the lube while Yugi spread his legs for Yami.

Yami settled between Yugi's legs before he slipped one slick finger into Yugi. Yami moved the finger around a bit before he slipped the second one inside.

Yugi tensed, but forced his body to relax.

Yami started to scissor the two fingers, and once he was satisfied, he added in the third, stretching Yugi even more. He then removed his fingers, causing Yugi to groan in annoyance.

"We're not done, yet." Yami assured him. He then used the lube to slick his erection before he positioned himself at Yugi's entrance.

Yugi lifted his legs and wrapped them around Yami's waist while he wrapped his arms around Yami's neck.

Yami then thrust all the way into Yugi.

"Ah!" Yugi cried as Yami struck his prostate immediately.

Yami smirked and pulled out only to thrust back in. He set a fast, rough pace for them.

"Ah! Yami!" Yugi cried as he tightened his legs around Yami's waist.

"Yugi! Damn it, you're tight!" Yami groaned.

The two moved against each other at a fast pace, enjoying being together again.

"Yami! Ah! So good! Don't stop!" Yugi moaned.

"Yugi! So tight! So hot! Wonderful!" Yami groaned.

It wasn't long before Yugi could feel himself reaching his end.

"Y-Yami, I-I'm close." Yugi said.

"I-I know, Y-Yugi. So a-am I." Yami replied.

Yami reached down and started to stroke Yugi's member in time with his thrusts.

Yugi soon reached his end. "YAMI!" Yugi cried as he released over Yami's hand and their chests and stomachs.

Yami felt Yugi clench around him tightly, and he lost it. "YUGI!" Yami moaned as he thrust deeply into Yugi once more before he released inside of Yugi.

**LEMON ENDS HERE!**

Once more, the two collapsed with Yami on top of Yugi.

After the two recovered, Yami pulled out of Yugi and rolled over to the side. He then wrapped his arms around Yugi and pulled Yugi up against him while Yugi cuddled up to him.

"Hmm. That was amazing." Yugi said.

"I know. You were really tight." Yamis aid.

Yugi laughed. "Well, I hadn't been with anyone since the last time we had been together." Yugi answered.

Yami held Yugi tightly. "Yugi, I'm sorry for leaving. I shouldn't-" Yami started.

Yugi leaned up and kissed Yami to silence him. "Yami, it's in the past, and it's over. We're together now, and that's all that matters." Yugi said.

Yami smiled. "You're right." Yami agreed.

The two then cuddled up together.

"I love you, Yugi." Yami said as he kissed the top of Yugi's head.

"I love you, too, Yami." Yugi replied.

The two soon fell asleep.

* * *

"I just wish my brother wasn't so stupid.' Atemu said as he paced the room.

Heba and Atemu couldn't sleep. Heba couldn't sleep from nausea, and Atemu was still angry at Yami.

"Calm down, Atemu." Heba said. He was looking though the pregnancy book. He made a face and said, "I am never having sex again."

"Still, I wish that Yami would think." Atemu said.

"Até, he's already made his decision." Heba said.

Atemu stopped pacing and said, "How do you know?"

"I sensed a portal open to the Millennial Kingdom, and I can't sense Yami's presence now. He went there." Heba said.

Atemu smiled. "Then we went back to Yugi." Atemu said.

"Yes." Heba answered.

A thought hit Atemu. "Why don't you want to have sex again?" Atemu asked.

Heba showed him the book, which was at the birthing process.

Atemu looked and said, "I am never having sex again!"

Heba collapsed into laughter.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Note 1: I know that most people knew Yugi and Yami would get together. I know that I am predictable in this aspect, but I love happy endings. I can't help it.

Note 2: I thought Yugi and Yami reuniting in the rain was apporopiate for some reason. Don't ask me why.

Note 3: Also, the bit with Atemu and Heba not wanting to have sex after seeing the book is something that I got from an episode of _Reba _when Van and Cheyanne had Elizabeth. I didn't come up with that.

Next: Some explanations.

R&R.


	21. Explanations

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 21- Explanations

The sun shone brightly over the sky in the Millennial Kingdom. It was a great contrast to the storm that had raged the night before.

The sunlight streamed in through the windows of Yugi's room, hitting Yugi in the face.

Yugi squeezed his eyes shut before he opened them to look around. He found himself lying on Yami's chest.

Yami was still sound asleep.

Yugi smiled as he looked at his lover. Yugi couldn't have been happier now. He had his lover back, and he knew that he wasn't going to be leaving again. 'Things are a lot better now.' Yugi thought, knowing that he hadn't been this happy since Yami had left the Millennial Kingdom.

"Happy now?"

Yugi sat up and looked to see that Firestar was laying at the foot of the bed, looking at him. "When did you come in here?" Yugi asked, knowing that Firestar hadn't been in there when he and Yami went to sleep the night before.

"I came in here not too long ago. I knew that since Yami was back, I wouldn't want to come in here." Firestar said.

"Probably a good thing." Yugi agreed.

Yami groaned. "Can't you two be quiet? I'm trying to sleep." Yami said.

Yugi laughed. "Come on, Yami. You need to get up." Yugi said.

"Why?" Yami grumbled, turning so that his back was to Yugi and pulling the covers over his head to block out the sunlight.

Yugi rolled his eyes and grabbed the covers, jerking them off of Yami's head. "Yami, in case you have forgotten, there's a lot that we are going to have to now." Yugi said.

"Like what?" Yami asked.

"Well, for starters, we're going to have to explain to my grandfather, Dartz, and the council about why you are here." Yugi said.

Yami opened his eyes and turned to face Yugi, "I suppose that is a good reason to get up. What are they going to say?" Yami asked.

"I have no idea, but I would rather get this part over with before long." Yugi said.

"I get it." Yami said.

"Then you two might want to get a shower." Firestar said.

"Why? Are you saying that we stink?" Yami asked.

"In a way, yes. You both smell like sex." Firestar said.

Yugi blushed.

"I don't think that you want anyone to know about that at the moment, at least not in that much detail, so I suggest that you both get a shower." Firestar said.

"Okay. Fine. I just have one problem." Yami said.

"What's that?" Yugi asked.

"I don't have any other clothes." Yami said.

Yugi then climbed out of the bed, grabbing a robe to put on. "Yes, you do." Yugi said.

Yami glanced at him. "What do you mean?" Yami asked.

"When you went back to Egypt, you left some of your clothes here in my room. You can wear them." Yugi explained.

"Oh." Yami said.

Yugi went over to a drawer and got out the clothes. "Come on. We should go and get a shower." Yugi said.

"Okay." Yami said, getting out of bed and following Yugi into the bathroom.

Firestar sighed. "I'd better get out of here. I don't want to hear them if they go at it again." Firestar muttered to himself as he got off the bed and left the room.

* * *

"Get up, Atemu." Heba said, shaking his husband.

Atemu was stubborn and wouldn't wake up.

Heba sighed. "Come on, Atemu. It's time to get up." Heba said.

Atemu was still sound asleep.

Heba sighed. There was only one way that he was going to get his lazy husband out of bed. He leaned down to Atemu's ear and said in a singsong voice, "Até. If you don't get out of bed now, you're going to be going without sex for a month."

Atemu's eyes flew open and he jumped out of bed in a flash. "ALL RIGHT! I'M UP! I'M UP!!!" Atemu said frantically.

Heba couldn't help it. He collapsed into a fit of laughter. "Y-you don't know h-how funny you l-looked." Heba said.

Atemu glared. "That wasn't funny in the least, Heba." Atemu said.

Heba wiped the tears from his eyes. "I thought it was. I have never seen you move so fast. Besides, I thought that you said you were never having sex again." Heba said, referring to their conversation the night before.

"I changed my mind." Atemu said.

Heba shook his head. "Come on. We need to shower and get dressed." Heba said.

"Yeah. I'm sure that my parents are going to want to know what Yami finally decided. Besides, if they see that Yami is gone, they're going to assume that he's been kidnapped and start a full-scale search for him when it's not necessary." Atemu said.

"That's another reason why we need to hurry." Heba said.

The two then headed into the shower.

* * *

After showering, which ended up in another session of lovemaking, the two got out and changed into the clothes that they had.

"I'm glad that I left these now." Yami said as he pulled his shirt on.

"I am, too. I didn't even discover them until after you left." Yugi said.

Yami smiled. "Well, it's a good thing that I left them seeing how I needed them." Yami said.

Yugi walked over to him. "I agree." Yugi said.

Yami then pulled Yugi down in a kiss.

Yugi smiled into the kiss as he kissed Yami back before he broke the kiss. "Come on. We should go." Yugi said.

"Yeah. If we keep this up, we're never going to get out of this room." Yami said. He smirked and added, "Of course, I wouldn't mind that."

Yugi blushed. "All right, Yami. For the next few hours, please keep your mind out of the gutter. There's a lot that we have to explain, and I would rather do it without your perverted thoughts causing some troubles." Yugi said.

"Oh, all right. I promise that I'll be on my best behavior." Yami said.

"Good. Now, come on. We have a long day ahead of us." Yugi said.

Yami nodded and followed Yugi out of the room.

The headed down the hall only to come across Solomon.

"Prince Yami! What are you doing here?!" Solomon exclaimed.

"Well, um, it's a long story, actually." Yami said.

"Grandpa, I would rather just tell you, Dartz, and the council all at once." Yugi said.

"Well, the council won't be meeting for a few hours at least." Solomon said.

"In that case, I'll tell you and Dartz now. Just over breakfast." Yugi said.

"All right." Solomon said, wondering what was going on.

The three then headed down the hall to the dining room where Dartz was already at.

"Prince Yami? Why are you here? Is everything all right in Egypt?" Dartz asked, wondering if something else had happened.

"Everything is fine back in Egypt. My being here has nothing to do with that." Yami assured him.

"Then what brings you back here?" Dartz asked as they say down.

A few moments later, a few servants brought all four of them their breakfast.

"All right. How about I just give you the short version of what happened?" Yugi suggested.

"As you wish." Dartz said.

"Back when Yami was staying here for six months, well, he and I ended up falling in love with each other, and the truth is that we started a relationship." Yugi said.

"You what?!" Solomon and Dartz exclaimed.

"You didn't know because we didn't want anyone to know. Only Firestar knew. The thing is that because of the different duties that we were held to because of our kingdoms, we knew that it couldn't last, so we agreed that it would only last as long as Yami was staying here. When he left, we ended the relationship." Yugi said.

"Then what changed?" Solomon asked, knowing that something had to have changed since Yami was now back.

"Well, the truth is that I was miserable without Yugi and he was miserable without me. We both knew that. So, when my brother figured out what was going on, he told my parents about it, and they pretty much told me to come back here if that's what I wanted to do. I decided that I did want to be here, so I came back." Yami said.

"So, does that mean that you are giving up Egypt to remain here?" Dartz asked.

"Yes, I did." Yami answered.

Solomon frowned. "Why weren't we informed last night?" Solomon asked.

"Because he came here in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep." Yugi answered.

"Oh." Solomon said.

"So, do you two plan on getting married?" Dartz asked.

Yugi and Yami looked at each other, realizing that they hadn't even talked about that, but they knew that they would want to just by one look.

"We haven't actually talked about it, but we know that we will want to." Yugi answered.

"Well, that's good then." Dartz said.

"So, no problem with this?" Yugi asked.

"Of course not. As your grandfather, I just want you to be happy." Solomon said.

"It makes no difference to me." Dartz said. He smirked. "Although I think that there are going to be some girls and boys who are going to be rather upset when they learn that you are no longer available." Dartz said teasingly.

Yugi groaned. "Please don't remind me about that. I have had it with all of them coming onto me." Yugi said.

Yami chuckled. "Well, you don't have to worry about that now." Yami said.

Solomon looked at Yami. "Do your parents know that you are here?" Solomon asked.

"Well, no, not yet. I'm sure that they know by now. I am going to have to go back and work all these things out." Yami said.

"Not to mention we're going to have to work out the wedding." Solomon said.

"Could I remind everyone that the council still has to be told about this?" Yugi asked.

"Don't worry. They won't care. In fact, they'll probably welcome the marriage." Dartz said.

Yami glanced at him. "Why do you say that, Dartz?" Yami asked.

"Because the council has worried about the treaty between Egypt and the Millennial Kingdom because of everything that went on before. I'm sure that they'll be happy to learn about this. It'll make them feel very secure about the peace between us." Dartz explained.

"He's right about that." Solomon agreed.

"That's not the point of this." Yugi said.

"We know. It's just something that happens as a result of your relationship." Solomon replied.

Yugi nodded.

'I wonder how Mom and Dad are handling the news of what I decided.' Yami thought.

* * *

"Where is he, though?! He could have been kidnapped!" Amara exclaimed.

"Amara, calm down." Aknankanon said, putting his hands on his wife's shoulders.

"Calm down?! Something might have happened to Yami, and you want me to calm down! We don't know who has him or if he's hurt!" Amara said hysterically.

Seto, Joey, Ryou, Bakura, Marik, and Malik were also worried since they now knew that Yami was missing, and no one had seen him.

"I will go and set up a search for him." Aknaudin said, standing up.

Atemu and Heba walked into the room at that time and saw how tense everyone was.

Wondering what was going on, Atemu said, "What's happening? Is something wrong?"

"Your brother has disappeared, and no one knows where he is." Aknankanon answered.

"This is why we needed to get here sooner." Heba said, glaring at his husband.

Atemu shrugged.

"How can you be so calm?!" Amara demanded.

"Because I know where he is." Atemu said.

"Then where is he?" Seto asked.

Atemu sighed. "Yami made his decision last night. He went to the Millennial Kingdom." Atemu said.

The group grew quiet as they starred at him.

"You mean, he chose to go back to Yugi?" Amara asked.

"Yeah. He finally came to his senses and went back." Atemu said.

"Oh, thank Ra!" Amara said, a hand over her heart. "I thought that he had been kidnapped or something." Amara said.

"He's fine, Mom." Atemu said.

"Well, I'm glad that he finally did the right thing." Aknankanon said.

"Um, mind telling us what is going on?" Bakura asked, completely confused.

"Well, we basically told Yami that if he wanted to go back to Yugi, that he could go. He shouldn't have to be tied down to his duties and lose this chance." Aknankanon said.

"He was told to choose if he wanted to stay in Egypt or go to Yugi. He made his choice." Amara finished explaining.

"Oh. That makes a little more sense." Marik said.

"At least we can relax now." Seto said.

Joey smirked. "So, Yugi finally landed someone." Joey said.

"Joey, stop making it sound like that. They're in love with each other." Heba said.

"We know that, Heba. We all think that it's great for the both of them." Ryou said.

* * *

Everything went over rather well with the council.

"Dartz was right. They were thrilled with the idea." Yugi said.

"How long before they push the marriage?" Yami asked.

"I give it a few weeks, tops." Yugi answered as the two walked down the hall.

"I have to admit that I was a little afraid that I was too late." Yami said.

Yugi looked over at Yami. "What are you talking about?" Yugi asked.

"Well, after leaving, I wasn't sure if you would have found someone else.." Yami replied.

Yugi smiled. "You never had to worry about that, Yami. I love you, and there is never going to be anyone else in my life." Yugi explained.

"I know that now because I am going to be in your life from now on." Yami said.

Yugi smiled brightly. "I know." Yugi said.

The two went to Yugi's room and sat down on the bed.

"When are you going to go back and work everything out that you need to back in Egypt?" Yugi asked.

Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi. "I don't know. To be honest, I don't want to leave you again." Yami said.

Yugi giggled. "Yami, I'll live without you for a while. I know that you're going to be back this time around." Yugi said.

Yami nodded. "You better believe it. Now that I think about it, I think that I had better go on and do that." Yami said.

"Okay, Yami. I'd better get you there." Yugi said.

"No need." Yami said. He showed Yugi the medallion that Heba had given him. "Heba gave me this, so I can use it to go back, right?" Yami asked.

"Yes. You can." Yugi answered.

"Well, I might need to go before I change my mind and decide not to go." Yami said.

Yugi leaned up and pressed a kiss to Yami's lips. "Yami, go on. I know that you are going to be back. I understand that there are things that there that you need to take care of, so go and do them." Yugi said.

Yami nodded.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Yugi called.

The door opened, and Solomon walked in. "Good. You haven't left yet, Yami." Solomon said.

"No. I haven't. Why?" Yami asked.

"Because I was going to tell you that you might want to go with him, Yugi." Solomon said.

"Why?" Yugi asked.

"Well, I think that you should go and work out all the details with them as well. Besides, I honestly think that you should go ahead and discuss the wedding details." Solomon said.

"Right. I think that might be a good idea, Grandpa, but can I be away right now?" Yugi asked.

"It'll be fine. We can handle things here." Solomon said.

"All right, but I think that I'll come on back tonight." Yugi said.

"If that's what you want." Solomon said.

"Then can I go as well?" Firestar asked.

The group turned to look at the tiger.

"All right, Firestar. You can come, too." Yugi said.

"Great!" Firestar said.

"Well, we should go." Yami said.

Yugi nodded and opened a portal before the two stepped through it with Firestar right behind them.

Solomon smiled. 'I'm glad that Yugi finally found someone. Granted, I didn't expect it to be Yami, but I'm glad that he did find someone.' Solomon thought.

* * *

Yugi and Yami had ended up in Yami's room at the palace.

"Why are we in my room?" Yami asked.

"Because you distracted me." Yugi retorted, grabbing Yami's hand, which was on his butt. "Stop that already!" Yugi growled.

Yami smirked. "You said I had to behave with the council. We aren't with them now." Yami said.

"Please tell me that you won't act like this in front of your parents." Yugi said, praying Yami had some sort of decency.

"Of course I won't. I wouldn't do that. It would be too embarrassing." Yami said.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that you have some sense of decency." Yugi said.

"Come on. We should find my parents." Yami said.

The two had barely stopped out the door when Yugi was tackled to the ground.

"Yugi, I'm so glad to see you!" Heba said, hugging Yugi tightly.

"Heba. Air." Yugi gasped.

"Sorry." Heba said, letting go.

Atemu looked at Yami. "What are you two doing here?" Atemu asked.

"Well, Yugi and I need to talk to Mom and Dad about arrangements, so that's what we're doing here." Yami answered.

"Are you two planning to get married?" Heba asked.

"Pretty much. Might as well start planning it since the council will be pushing it now." Yugi said.

"That's true." Heba agreed.

"Heba, could you get off my legs so that I can stand up?" Yugi asked.

"Oh! Sorry!" Heba said, getting off his brother.

"Well, Mom and Dad might be in Dad's office. We should check there." Atemu said.

"Let's knock this time." Yami said.

"Right." Atemu said.

"Why? Did you two walk into something that you shouldn't have?" Yugi asked.

"Uh-huh. Needless to say, we were scarred for life." Atemu said.

Heba burst out laughing.

"It's not funny!" Atemu said.

"Especially since we were twelve at the time." Yami added.

Yugi joined his brother in laughter.

"Oh, shut up!" Atemu snapped.

Yugi wiped some tears away. "Okay. Let's go." Yugi said.

* * *

Amara and Aknankanon were in Aknankanon's office.

"Well, it looks like we'll be having another wedding coming up." Aknankanon said.

"Yes, but at least this one is being based off love to start with." Amara said.

"True. I wonder when we'll hear from them about this." Aknankanon said.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Aknankanon called.

The door opened, and Atemu walked in. "We have some visitors." Atemu said.

Aknankanon and Amara were surprised to see Yugi and Yami there.

"What are you two doing here?" Amara asked.

"Mainly, to talk about the wedding and other arrangements that need to be made." Yugi answered.

"Good. That's what we were just talking about." Aknankanon said.

The group sat down to talk about the wedding.

* * *

"Lord Solomon?" Dartz said.

Solomon stopped walking down the hall and turned to face the aqua-haired man. "Yes, and I've told you to just call me Solomon." Solomon answered.

"Sorry. Where is the Emperor and Prince Yami? I haven't seen either one of them since the meeting with the council." Dartz said.

"Oh. Yami was going back to Egypt to deal with some of the things that need to be done before he moved here permanently, and I told Yugi to go with him to discuss some of the wedding plans." Solomon answered.

"Oh. Getting a jump start on it?" Dartz asked.

"Might as well. It won't be long before the council wants to talk about it." Solomon said.

"Point taken." Dartz agreed.

"I'm sure that they will be happy to get married." Solomon said.

"Indeed. I'm just glad that the Emperor found someone like Prince Yami. I liked him. He seems like a good man." Dartz said.

"I couldn't agree more." Solomon replied.

* * *

Atemu and Heba had left to let Aknankanon, Amara, Yami and Yugi talk about the wedding plans.

"Now, where should the wedding be held?" Amara asked.

"I can already tell you that the council would prefer it in the Millennial Kingdom." Yugi said.

"I tend to agree. It will be a big deal for your kingdom given that you are the Emperor." Aknankanon agreed.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Yami asked.

"Oh, he doesn't mean it like that." Amara said.

"I know." Yami replied.

"Well, we do things a little differently." Yugi said.

"How so?" Amara asked.

"Well, the night before the wedding date, there's always a lavish ball, and I mean lavish. The two getting married aren't allowed to see each other until the wedding the following day once the wedding ends. A member of the family would stay with each of them, normally a brother or sister." Yugi said.

"Hmm. That's not too bad." Amara said.

"Not for you. It will be celebrated for at least a week." Yugi said.

"A week?!" Yami exclaimed.

"Hmm-mm. My getting married is going to be a big deal." Yugi said.

"Well, we can discuss the details later. I think that it is a going to be fine." Aknankanon said.

Amara rolled here eyes. "You say that because it means that you won't have to deal with a lot of the planning." Amara said.

"Of course." Aknankanon said.

Yugi smiled. "It's okay. I don't mind." Yugi said.

"When will I move there?" Yami asked.

"That eager to leave, Yami?" Aknankanon teased.

Yami blushed.

Yugi laughed. "Any time you want although the council will want you to stay in a room separate from mine, and then your things would be moved into my room after we are married." Yugi said.

"Okay." Yami said.

"Well, I would say that the peace treaty that the two of you made pretty well unnecessary now." Aknankanon said.

"Yeah. I guess so." Yugi agreed.

"Indeed. Your marriage is the best peace treaty that we could have asked for." Amara added.

"Well, if it hadn't been for that treaty, Yami and I might not have fallen in love." Yugi said.

"True." Aknankanon agreed.

* * *

After finishing talking with Amara and Aknankanon, Yugi and Yami left.

"Hey, Yugi. What will my duties be in the Millennial Kingdom?" Yami asked.

"Well, right now, you won't have any. After we are married, you'll help me rule. You basically do everything that I do. We just do it together, meaning that the major decisions we will have to discuss." Yugi said.

"Hmm. It doesn't sound too bad." Yami said.

"Oh. There is one other duty." Yugi said.

Yami glanced over at him. "What's that?" Yami asked.

Yugi smirked and said, "Providing an heir."

"That I will enjoy." Yami said.

"I thought you would." Yugi agreed.

It was getting rather late.

"I had better return. I don't want Grandpa and the council to worry about me." Yugi said.

"I wish you could stay here." Yami said as they went into his room.

"I know, but once you move to the Millennial Kingdom, you won't have to worry about that." Yugi said.

"I know." Yami said.

"I'll see you soon." Yugi said.

Yami then pulled Yugi into a deep kiss. "Yes, I will." Yami agreed once the kiss was broken.

Yugi smiled before he returned to the Millennial Kingdom.

Yami sighed. He wished that he could have went, but he knew there were things there that he needed to take care of.

It wouldn't be long before he and Yugi would together for the rest of their lives, anyway.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Don't worry. Yami's going back.

Next: Most likely the wedding ball.

R&R.


	22. The Wedding Ball

Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 22- The Wedding Ball

Yugi was in his office, doing some work. 'Between my normal duties and the wedding, I don't have time for anything.' Yugi thought.

Yugi had been working tirelessly the last few days to get things order. There was a lot that he had to do to prepare for the change in rule. Ruling along with Yami would be different from ruling alone, and he had to be ready for when that change comes.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Yugi called.

Solomon walked into the room. "Working hard?" Solomon asked.

"I have been the entire day the last few days." Yugi answered, not looking up.

Solomon sighed. 'Maybe once Yami moves here permanently he can get Yugi to not work as hard as he does now.' Solomon thought.

"Is there anything else that you needed to talk to me about, Grandpa?" Yugi asked, knowing that he wouldn't have come there without good reason.

"Well, I was wondering when you planned to announce to the kingdom that you're getting married to Yami." Solomon said.

Yugi looked up suddenly, a look of horror on his face. "Oh no! I completely forgot about that!" Yugi exclaimed.

Solomon chuckled. "Given everything that you have to do, I'm not surprised that you forgot, but you might want to consider telling them." Solomon said.

"I know, Grandpa. I'll do it. For that matter, I had better do that now before I forget." Yugi said, standing up.

"You should probably wait. It'll take a while to gather everyone together to hear the announcement." Solomon said.

"Right. Anything else?" Yugi asked, sitting back down.

"Yes. More of Prince Yami's things were brought here today." Solomon said.

"Well, have them placed in the room Yami's staying in for now." Yugi said.

"I already have had that done. I don't think that it will be long before he comes here to stay." Solomon said.

"I know, Grandpa." Yugi said with a smile on his face.

Solomon laughed. "Ready for him to move here?" Solomon asked.

"You have no idea." Yugi answered. He would never admit to his grandfather that he just missed having Yami sleeping in bed beside him.

"Well, you don't have long to wait." Solomon said.

"Yeah. I know." Yugi said, getting back to his work.

* * *

Yami was packing up some more of his things. He had sent a lot of things to the Millennial Kingdom already, but there was still a lot that he had to send.

'I never realized that I had this much stuff.' Yami thought as he was going through some more of his drawers in the bureau.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Yami called.

The door opened, and Atemu walked in. "How's the packing going?" Atemu asked.

"Oh, shut up. You've never had to go through all this." Yami snapped as he put some more things in a box.

"Come on. I won't have you around to tease as much pretty soon." Atemu said.

"Yeah. I know." Yami said.

Atemu sat down on the bed and watched as Yami packed. "You know, I never thought that the day would come that you would have to leave." Atemu said.

Yami turned to look at his brother. He smirked and said, "Going to miss me?"

"Between us, yes. Outside of this room, no." Atemu answered.

"I know it's a major change for all of us. I never thought that I would leave either, but I can't help that I fell in love with someone outside the kingdom." Yami said.

"I know. I think that Mom's going to take it the hardest." Atemu said.

"That's a given." Yami answered.

"So, are you happy to be going back?" Atemu asked.

"Yeah. I am. I really want to be with Yugi. It might be strange living in the Millennial Kingdom now, but it's where I need to be now." Yami said.

Atemu nodded. "I get it. I'll miss having you around, but I get it." Atemu said.

Yami smiled. "Well, you have your husband around all the time, and I need to be with my future husband now." Yami said.

"Yeah. I know. I think that it's best. I mean, you shouldn't give up your heart for anything." Atemu said.

Yami smirked. "And to think that before you were married to Heba, you would have said that giving up your heart to a person would be the worst thing that you could do. You would have denied that you loved someone before you would ever consider telling them that you loved them." Yami said.

"Okay. So I could be a pompous ass when I was younger." Atemu said.

"That was only a few years ago." Yami pointed out.

"I know. It's still the truth." Atemu said.

"Okay. I really need to get back to packing." Yami said,

"Yeah. Okay. I'll go." Atemu said, hoping off the bed.

"No offer to help?" Yami asked.

"Nope." Atemu answered before he dashed out of the room,

Yami growled. "I hate when he does that." Yami said to himself before he got back to packing.

* * *

The people of the Millennial Kingdom had been gathered together because they had heard that their Emperor had an announcement to make.

Yugi walked out onto the balcony where he looked down at the people of the Millennial Kingdom. "My people, I have called you here to make a grand announcement. I am announcing that I am going to be married." Yugi said.

There were shouts and cheers of happiness from the people. They were all happy to hear about their Emperor's engagement.

Yugi then continued with his announcement. "I will be getting married to Prince Yami of Egypt. The wedding will take place in two months. Prince Yami will be moving into the palace soon and then the wedding will be in two months time." Yugi said.

Once more, the people cheered, just happy that their Emperor had found someone although there were the few that were not happy with this, mostly those that had wanted the chances to marry the Emperor themselves.

After the announcement, Yugi walked back into the palace.

"That went well." Dartz said.

"Yes, it did. For the most part, they are happy with this." Yugi said.

"For the most part?" Solomon asked.

"Grandpa, there are some of them that aren't happy about this because they were hoping to be the one that married me." Yugi said.

"He makes a good point, Solomon. There are many who wanted to be Empress or Emperor alongside Emperor Yugi. Those are the ones that will have problems with this." Dartz agreed.

"Hmm. I suppose so." Solomon agreed.

"It doesn't matter what they think, anyway. Yami is whom I am going to marry. There's nothing they can do about that." Yugi said.

"Indeed." Solomon agreed.

* * *

~Three Days Later~

Yami was ready to leave to go to the Millennial Kingdom for good.

"Bye, Yami. You be careful." Amara said as she hugged her son.

"I will, Mom. You don't need to worry about me." Yami assured her.

"We will see you soon, Yami." Aknankanon assured him, knowing that they would be going there for the wedding.

"You take care of yourself." Seto said.

"Yeah. We don't need another pregnant one." Bakura said.

"Bakura!" Heba growled, glaring at Bakura.

Bakura shrugged, not really caring.

"Good luck with him, Ryou." Yami said.

"Thanks." Ryou answered.

After everyone said their goodbyes to Yami, Heba opened a portal to the Millennial Kingdom that Yami went through.

The group then started to disperse.

Amara sighed. "Well, I guess he's gone." Amara said.

Aknankanon wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry. We'll still see him." Aknankanon said.

"I know, but not as much. It'll be strange not seeing him everyday." Amara said.

"Yami's starting out on a new road in his life. He's going to be married soon, and he'll need to live with his husband." Aknankanon said.

"I know. I'm happy for him even though I am going to miss him." Amara replied.

The two then walked off, knowing that their son was going to be fine.

* * *

Yami entered the Millennial Kingdom and was greeted by Solomon.

"Welcome back, Prince Yami." Solomon said.

"Thank you, and please just call me Yami." Yami told him.

"Very well then. I'll ask you to call me Grandpa." Solomon told him.

Yami blinked in surprise. "Grandpa?" Yami asked.

"Yes. You'll be married to my grandson, so you might as well call me that. We'll be family, after all." Solomon explained.

"All right. Where's Yugi at?" Yami asked.

"Probably in his study. He's been in there most of the day the last few days. He has a lot that he has to do." Solomon said.

"Well, that's to be expected. He is the king, after all." Yami said.

"Yu can go and see him if you like." Solomon said.

"I think I will." Yami replied before he walked off.

Solomon smiled. 'I think that Yami is the perfect one for Yugi.' Solomon thought. * * * * * *

Yugi was standing in front of the large window in his study as he looked through some papers. 'I am so tired. I'll be glad when all f this wedding business is over.' Yugi thought.

Yugi vaguely registered that the door had opened and closed. The next thing Yugi knew, there were arms wrapped around his and lips kissing his neck.

Yugi closed his eyes and leaned back. "When did you get here, Yami?" Yugi asked, knowing that it was him.

Yami smirked. "Not that long ago. Your grandfather met me. Apparently, you were too busy to do that. I'm hurt, Yugi. I thought that I was more important to you than that." Yami said, his voice filled with mock hurt.

Yugi turned around in Yami's arms and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Better?" Yugi asked.

"Hmm. Not quite yet." Yami answered. He then pulled Yugi into a deeper, longer kiss.

Yugi dropped the papers that had been in his hands and wrapped his arms around Yami's neck as Yami's arms went around Yugi's waist. Yami ran his tongue over Yugi's bottom lip, asking for entrance that Yugi happily gave him. Yami roamed around the inside of Yugi's mouth, mapping out the cavern that he knew so well.

Finally, the two were forced to break apart for the lack of air.

"I've missed being able to do that the last few days." Yami said.

"I figured that out." Yugi replied. He got out of Yami's arms and picked up the papers that he had dropped on the floor during the heated kiss.

"Do you have to keep working tonight?" Yami asked.

Yugi glanced at him and saw the seductive look in Yami's eyes. "You really don't want to wait, do you?" Yugi asked.

"No, I don't." Yami answered.

"All right. I suppose I can tonight." Yugi agreed. He put away everything that he had out before the two left the room.

The two walked down the halls.

"So, are you staying in your room tonight?" Yugi asked teasingly.

"Not on your life." Yami growled. He had his arm around Yugi's waist.

"Just keep your hands on my waist. No lower until we're in the privacy of my room." Yugi said.

"Sure thing." Yami said.

The moment that the door to Yugi's room was closed, Yami had pressed Yugi up against the door, kissing him.

"Hmm. Horny, much?" Yugi murmured against Yami's lips.

"I haven't been with you for the last few days." Yami replied.

"I'm in for a long night, aren't I?" Yugi asked.

"Yes, you are." Yami replied before he picked Yugi up and threw him on the bed before he joined him, straddling Yugi at the waist.

"Well, might as well get started." Yugi said.

"My thoughts exactly." Yami said as he leaned down and kissed Yugi.

The two were then lost in passion for the rest of the night.

* * *

~Two Months Later~

Yami sighed as he looked in the mirror. He was wearing a pair of black slacks, a white shirt with a black vest over the shirt, a white cape hung from his shoulders, and he wore black boots. "I look ridiculous." Yami muttered.

Yugi walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around Yami's waist. "You look fine to me." Yugi said.

Yami turned to face him. "Do I have to wear this?" Yami asked.

"Yes. You have to dress like this. You are my fiancé, and this is the ball that celebrates out wedding tomorrow." Yugi said.

"Yeah. I know." Yami said.

Yugi leaned up and kissed Yami lightly on the lips. "Don't worry, Yami. It'll be over before you know it. Just suffer through it like I do." Yugi said.

"So, you don't like these things, either?" Yami asked.

"Well, I don't mind them, but I'm not thrilled with them, either." Yugi answered.

"Okay." Yami said.

"At least your family is here now." Yugi said.

"Yeah. That is one good thing." Yami agreed.

"Come on. We need to get going. The ball is scheduled to start in a few minutes." Yugi said.

"Oh, all right." Yami said, figuring that it would be better to get it over with.

The two left Yugi's room and headed down the halls to the ballroom.

When the two reached the ballroom, the guards at the doors opened them for the two. Once the two entered the ballroom, the room grew silent as all the guests looked at Yugi.

Yugi smiled and said, "I want to welcome everyone to this ball. We are celebrating my marriage to Yami, which will take place tomorrow. Please, enjoy the ball." Yugi said.

At the end of the short address, the musicians started to play again, and the room was once more filled with music and talking.

Yami and Yugi walked into the crowd.

"How many people are here?" Yami asked in a low voice.

"A lot. You have to remember that all of the allies to the Millennial Kingdom are here along with a lot of the nobility from Egypt and the Millennial Kingdom." Yugi said.

"I know." Yami said.

"Hey, Yami!"

Yami turned to face Bakura. "Hey, Bakura." Yami said.

"This is quite the affair." Bakura said.

"Kura! You said that you would be nice." Ryou said.

"What?" Bakura asked.

"He's fine, Ryou." Yugi assured him.

"All right. If you say so." Ryou said.

"So, this is the last night of your bachelorhood." Marik said.

Yami rolled his eyes. "I haven't been a bachelor for a while, Marik." Yami replied.

Heba walked over and started to talk to Yugi. "So, everything ready for the wedding tomorrow?" Heba asked.

"Yes. I made sure of it." Yugi answered.

Heba was now four months pregnant, and he was showing.

"How are you doing?" Yugi asked.

"I'm fine. Isis says that the baby is perfectly healthy." Heba answered. He laughed and said, 'Atemu was rather happy when he found out that he could feel the baby kick."

"I take it that he is happy." Yugi said.

"He's beyond thrilled. He's looking forward to being a father." Heba said.

"Well, he has a right to be excited." Yugi said.

"I know." Heba answered.

Yugi and Yami needed to greet other guests, so the two walked off from their family to mingle.

The two were stopped by a lot of people to talk.

'I hope that this is over soon.' Yami thought. He could see that some of the congratulations were just practiced things. Some didn't mean them although there were some that were sincere in their words.

Yugi smiled as he looked at Yami. 'I know that he hates this.' Yugi thought. Deciding to help his fiancé out some, Yugi said, "Yami, if you want, you can go back and talk to Heba and the others." Yugi said.

Yami's face lit up. "Thanks, Yugi." Yami said. He kissed Yugi before he walked back to where their family was.

Yugi smiled as he continued to talk to some of the guests.

"Hello, Emperor." a feminine voice said.

Yugi turned to find himself facing a noble woman. He recognized her as one who had come onto him before, and he didn't care for her that much. He pasted on a fake smile and said, "What can I do for you, Lady Mineko?"

Mineko smiled. "I was just wanting to congratulate you on the wedding tomorrow." Mineko said.

Yugi could see through the false words. "Thank you." Yugi said. He started to walk off, but Mineko stopped him.

"I just wondered if I could talk to you a moment longer." Mineko said with a seductive smile.

Yugi mentally groaned. "What do you have to say to me?" Yugi asked.

The two were in a quiet corner where they wouldn't be disturbed unless someone was looking for them.

"I just wondered why you'd want that foreigner when you could have someone from your own homeland." Mineko hissed, her eyes burning with anger.

Yugi's eyes narrowed. "Who I choose to marry is not your concern, Lady Mineko. It is my choice." Yugi said.

"I would have made a much better match for you." Mineko said haughtily.

Yugi smirked. "Well, I disagree." Yugi said.

"And why's that?" Mineko demanded.

"Well, let's just say that your less than savory reputation out me off, for one." Yugi said. His smirk widened at Mineko's shocked expression. "Also, I do not care for women in such a way. You never stood a chance." Yugi said.

"Why?" Mineko hissed.

"I suggest that you stop right now before I have the guards remove you from the ballroom and throw you in the dungeons for such disrespect toward me, your Emperor." Yugi said.

Mineko's shocked and scared expression was enough to tell Yugi that he had gotten his point across.

When Yugi rejoined his family, Heba said, "Problem?"

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked.

"Mineko." Heba answered.

"Well, let's just say that she was an arrogant noble's daughter who had to be reminded of her place." Yugi said.

Aknankanon chuckled. "We have people like that as well." Aknankanon said.

"They just need to be reminded who has the power. I don't use my position to put people in their places often." Yugi said.

"Just to the ones who deserve it." Yami added, having seen Yugi do just that.

"Indeed." Yugi agreed.

The ball continued on.

Yugi turned to Yami and said, "Want to dance?"

"Sure." Yami answered.

The two walked out onto the dance floor and started to dance together.

When the two were dancing together, it seemed like no one else was around. It was just the two of them.

"You know, this hasn't been as bas as I thought it would be." Yami said.

Yugi laughed lightly. "Glad to hear it." Yugi said.

The two continued dancing.

Atemu and Heba were watching them.

"You know, Yugi and Yami really do make a great couple." Heba said.

"I agree. I might not have seen Yami with him before he admitted that he was in love with him, but I do think that they are going to make a great couple." Atemu agreed.

"Going to? I think that they already make a great couple." Heba said.

"I know they do." Atemu said.

"At least they are actually marrying for love." Seto said from behind them.

Atemu rolled his eyes. "Seto, we all fell in love with out husbands. The fact that the marriages were forced doesn't really make a difference." Atemu said.

"You'll have to forgive him. He wants to be an ass today for some reason." Joey said.

"When doesn't he try to be an ass?" Atemu asked.

Seto glared at them.

"Seto, you don't scare me anymore, and you know it." Atemu said.

"I can always try." Seto said.

After they finished dancing, Yugi and Yami started to mingle again.

The two were standing near where two noblemen's sons were talking.

"I don't see why the Emperor would want to marry a foreigner." one said.

"I know. There are plenty of people here who would be much better for him." the other said.

It was obvious that they were talking loudly enough so that Yugi and Yami would hear them.

Yami growled lowly, but Yugi heard it.

Yugi took Yami by the hand and led him away. "Calm down, Yami. It doesn't matter what they say or think. I love you and I am going to marry you. What they think doesn't matter." Yugi said.

Yami smiled at him. "Thank you, Yugi. I guess when I hear people talk like that, I begin to wonder if maybe they are right." Yami said.

Yugi squeezed Yami's hand. "Don't ever think that. You are the only one for me." Yugi assured him.

Yami gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Yugi." Yami said.

Yugi smiled back. "Don't mention it." Yugi said.

The rest of the ball progressed without anything big happening.

Before long, Yugi knew that it was time for the ball to end.

After giving a closing statement and dismissing everyone, the ball came to an end and everyone either went to their guest rooms or home.

Yugi, Yami, Atemu, and Heba were walking down the hall.

To follow the Millennial tradition, Yugi and Yami wouldn't see each other again until the wedding the following day. Also following the tradition, Atemu would be staying with Yami during the night and Heba would be staying with Yugi for the night.

"Well, I think that it would be best if we called it a night. It's a big day tomorrow." Atemu said.

"You're right. We all need to get some rest." Yami agreed.

After the two couples said good night, they went to the separate rooms.

* * *

"Excited?" Heba asked.

"Yeah. I am. I'm glad that Yami and I are going to be married tomorrow." Yugi answered.

Heba smiled. "I know that you have to be happy. I'm sure that Yami is, too." Heba said.

"I know he is." Yugi answered.

Heba smiled. "We had better go to bed now." Heba said.

"Right." Yugi agreed.

The two brothers climbed into the bed and went to sleep.

* * *

"Ready for tomorrow?" Atemu asked.

"Yes, I am. I can't wait to finally be married to Yugi." Yami answered.

"Well, the only thing that changes is that you two are legally together." Atemu said.

"Maybe, but I still can't wait for it." Yami said.

Atemu laughed. "Well, everyone is entitled to feel that way, I suppose." Atemu said.

"Yes. I am." Yami agreed.

"Come on. We should go to bed. You have a big day tomorrow." Atemu said.

"Right." Yami agreed.

The two brothers climbed into the bed to go to sleep.

* * *

I hope you liked it.

Next: The wedding. There's only a couple of more chapters for this story.

R&R.


	23. The Wedding Day

Here's the next chapter.

There's a lemon between Yugi and Yami in this chapter, so skip the writing between the bold if you don't like that kind of thing. **YOU WERE WARNED!!!**

* * *

Chapter 23- The Wedding

The sun streamed in through the windows in the Millennial Kingdom.

The sunlight hit Yugi in the face, causing Yugi to groan. He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing that it was morning.

Yugi sat up in bed and stretched. He turned to the side to see that his brother was still sound asleep. "Heba, wake up." Yugi said, shaking his brother gently.

Heba groaned before he rolled over onto his side so that he faced away from Yugi.

Yugi shook his head. "Heba, you have to get up. It's morning." Yugi said, shaking his brother a little harder.

"Go away, Atemu. I'm too tired for that." Heba muttered, pulling the covers over his head.

Yugi shook his head. "I don't think that I'm your husband, Heba." Yugi said, fighting back against his laughter.

Heba opened his eyes and turned to look at Yugi. He blinked a few times before he remembered where he was. "Oh my gosh! Today's your wedding!" Heba exclaimed, jumping up.

"Calm down, Heba. It's not like we're late, but we do need to get ready." Yugi said.

"Right. Sorry about that." Heba said as he got out of bed.

"Don't worry about it. Come on. We have to get ready." Yugi said.

"Um, Yugi?" Heba said.

"What?" Yugi asked, turning to look at his brother.

"Would it be possible for us to have breakfast first? I am pregnant, and I don't think that I should skip breakfast." Heba said.

It was then that Heba's stomach started to growl.

Yugi laughed. "I think that your baby agrees with you." Yugi said.

Heba started to blush a little.

"Okay, Heba. I'll have the servants bring us some breakfast." Yugi said. He got out of bed and went to the door. He got a servant and told them to bring them breakfast.

"You think Atemu and Yami are up yet?" Heba asked.

"I don't know although I think that Atemu might have to fight to get Yami out of bed." Yugi said.

Heba laughed. "Atemu might end up pushing him out of bed just to get him up." Heba said.

"As long as Yami's not late for our wedding, I don't care how Atemu gets him out of bed." Yugi told his brother.

When the servants brought their breakfast, Yugi and Heba sat down to eat.

* * *

Atemu was woken up by the sunlight hitting him in the face. He blinked a few times, trying to get his foggy mind to work.

It took a moment for Atemu to remember where he was and why.

Atemu turned to where his brother was still sound asleep. Reaching over, Atemu started to shake Yami. "Wake up, Yami. It's morning." Atemu said.

Yami didn't budge.

"Come on, Yami. You have to get up. You're getting married today." Atemu said.

Yami still didn't move an inch.

Atemu groaned. 'I had hoped that it would be easy to get him out of bed for once. I suppose that's just wishful thinking.' Atemu thought.

Not knowing what else to do, Atemu took his pillow and hit Yami in the head with it, but Yami didn't move.

"Geez! I think that he sleeps even sounder here than he did at home. Normally, he would have gotten up because of that and started yelling at me." Atemu muttered.

Yami hugged his pillow as he snuggled back into the mattress and went still again.

Atemu sighed. "Too bad Yugi can't come in here and get him up." Atemu said.

Finally, Atemu decided to do the one thing that he thought might get his brother out of bed. "Yami, Yugi came by, and he's called off the wedding." Atemu said.

"WHAT?!" Yami shouted as he jumped out of bed and on his feet.

Atemu started laughing hysterically at the panicked look on Yami's face. He started rolling on the bed and holding his sides as he laughed.

Yami was confused for a moment before he realized that Atemu had tricked him. He glared at his brother. "That wasn't funny, Atemu." Yami growled.

"Yami, you wouldn't get up any other way. I thought that that might wake you up." Atemu said.

Yami sighed. "Fine. As long as Yugi didn't come by here and say that, it's fine." Yami replied.

"He didn't. In fact, I didn't get up until about ten minutes ago. I spent the next eight minutes trying to get you to wake up." Atemu answered as he got out of bed. "Come on. We need to get ready for that wedding." Atemu said.

"Atemu, maybe we should consider eating first." Yami said.

"Oh. Right." Atemu said.

"Heba does make sure that you eat now, doesn't he?" Yami asked, knowing that his brother had a habit of forgetting to eat breakfast when he was going something.

"Yes, he does. He always makes sure that I eat." Atemu answered.

"All right. I'll get the servants to bring us some breakfast and then we can start getting ready." Yami told him. He then walked over to the door and stepped to tell the servants to bring them breakfast.

"Well, you won't be single for much longer." Atemu said.

"I know, and I can't wait." Yami said.

Atemu laughed. "If I had felt the way I do now about Heba at our wedding, I'm sure that I would have been saying the exact same thing." Atemu said.

"Most likely." Yami said, knowing how his brother felt about Heba.

* * *

The time for the wedding had come, and everyone had gathered in the palace gardens where the wedding was going to place.

Yugi was glad that the weather had worked out for them to have the wedding outdoors.

All of the guests were seated out in the palace gardens, waiting for the wedding to begin.

"So, how does this work?" Marik asked.

Malik rolled his eyes. "Marik, the wedding will go the same way it did back in Egypt. It's just a few other traditions that go along with the wedding that are a bit different from your traditions." Malik told his husband.

"At least we'll know what's going on." Bakura said. He had his arms crossed over his chest and looked like he was bored out of his mind.

"Behave yourself, Bakura." Aknankanon said, not wanting Bakura to do anything that might disrupt the wedding.

The music then started to play and everyone knew that the wedding was about to start.

Dartz, who would be officiating the wedding, was standing at the alter with Yami, who was already there, waiting for Yugi to get there.

Yami was dressed in a pair of black pants with black boots on as well. He wore a black shirt with a white vest over the shirt. He had on a blood red cape as well.

Yugi then walked down from the entrance to the palace to where Yami and Dartz were.

Yugi was wearing a pair of white pants with black boots on. He had on a white shirt with a white dress jacket on over the shirt. He also wore a white cape. He had on a medallion with the symbol of the Millennial Royal family. He also wore the ring around his head with the amethyst jewel in it that symbolized that he was the Emperor.

"We are gathered here to day to join Emperor Yugi of the Millennial Kingdom and Prince Yami of Egypt together in holy matrimony." Dartz said.

The crowd, which was a mix of Egyptian nobles, Millennial nobles, and other allies, were silent as they watched the wedding proceed.

"Emperor Yugi, do you take Prince Yami as your husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health as long as you both live?" Dartz asked.

"I do." Yugi said.

"Prince Yami, do you take Emperor Yugi as your husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health as long as you both live?" Dartz asked.

"I do." Yami replied.

"The rings?" Dartz asked.

Heba handed Yugi the silver ring to give to Yami, and Atemu handed Yami the silver ring to give to Yugi.

"Emperor Yugi, place the ring on Prince Yami's right hand and say 'with this ring, I thee wed'." Dartz said.

Yugi placed the ring on Yami's ring finger on his right hand and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Prince Yami, place the ring on Emperor Yugi's right hand and say 'with this ring, I thee wed'." Dartz said.

Heba placed the ring on Atemu's right ring finger and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"I now pronounce you married. You may kiss you husband." Dartz said.

Yugi and Yami kissed each other briefly, but passionately.

The guests applauded for them.

There was one more piece to this wedding that Yugi had to attend to.

Solomon walked forward with a ring that held a ruby gem in it. It looked similar to the one that Yugi wore, which symbolized him as the Emperor.

"From now on, Yami will also be known as the Emperor of the Millennial Kingdom alongside me." Yugi said as he took the ring from his grandfather and placed it on Yami's head.

Once more, there was the sound of applauding as people clapped for the new couple.

* * *

After the wedding had ended, there was a banquet being held in honor of Yugi and Yami's marriage.

Everyone had gathered together in the ballroom for the celebration of the wedding. People were talking, eating, and dancing.

Yugi and Yami walked together through the crowd.

"Well, at least we're married now." Yami said as he held Yugi's hand in his own.

"I know, Yami. I'm happy about this, too." Yugi said.

The two were receiving a great deal of congratulations on their marriage.

Neither really wanted to have stay at the banquet any longer than they had to, but they knew that it would last for a while.

Atemu, Heba, Marik, Malik, Bakura, Ryou, Seto, and Joey were all standing near where the food was.

"I think that Yugi and Yami look great. They make such a great couple." Ryou said as he watched the two.

"I guess so." Bakura muttered.

"Kura, can't you at least try and be nice? This is your cousin's wedding, so you could act at least a little bit happy." Ryou said.

"I wasn't happy at our wedding, so why should I be happy at Yami's wedding?" Bakura asked.

"You weren't happy then because you were forced into that marriage." Marik said.

Bakura glared at him. "Oh, shut up!" Bakura snapped.

Atemu rolled his eyes. "Could you two stop arguing before you cause a scene? I don't want to be embarrassed at Yugi and Yami's wedding." Atemu said.

"Besides, I think that you know what Uncle Aknankanon and Aunt Amara would do to you two for something like that." Seto said.

The two didn't look scared in the least.

"Hey. Anyone know why Yugi and Yami wanted to have the wedding in the garden?" Joey asked as he looked up from his plate of food.

"Are the weddings here not usually outside?" Atemu asked.

"Nope. Normally, royal weddings are held in the throne room. That's why it bugged me that Yugi and Yami got married outside. It's rather rare that something like that happens." Joey answered.

"Hmm. I don't have a clue." Malik said.

"Any idea, Heba?" Ryou asked.

They got a muffled answer.

The group turned to see that Heba had a plate and his mouth was full of food.

"Heba." Atemu said, shocked.

"What?" Heba asked after he swallowed.

"Normally, Joey's the one that's stuffing his food, not you, Heba. So why are you doing that?" Ryou asked as he looked at Heba.

"Oh. I was hungry, and I needed to eat." Heba said.

"It's just not like you." Atemu said.

"I'm eating for two now. So sue me." Heba said.

"From the looks of you, it's more like three." Bakura muttered.

Heba glared at Bakura. "Ryou, you might want to control your husband before you two end up not being able to have any children." Heba said.

Gulping, Bakura took a step back to hide behind Ryou since he had a feeling that he had just pissed Heba off.

Atemu wrapped an arm around Heba. "Calm down, Heba. You know that Bakura doesn't mean most of what he ends up saying." Atemu said.

"Why does Heba look ready to kill?" Yugi asked as he and Yami walked up to them.

"Because Bakura made a crack about how big he's gotten with this pregnancy by implying he might be having twins." Ryou answered.

"Why would you say that?" Yugi asked.

"Well, he is big, and he's eating four times as much as the chow hound over here." Bakura said, motioning to Joey.

"Hey! I resent that!" Joey said.

"Like I care." Bakura said.

"Take it easy, Heba. It's not like it means anything." Yugi said.

"Yeah, and would it be so bad if you did end up having twins?" Yami asked.

"Not really." Atemu said.

Heba glared at his husband. "You can say that because you're not the one that is going to be having them." Heba said.

"In any case, are you guys enjoying yourselves?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah. We are." Ryou assured him.

"Hey, Yugi. Maybe you can answer a question I have. Why did you decide to have the wedding in the gardens? Normally, they're held in the throne room." Joey said.

"Oh! I decided to have it in the gardens because it's the place where Yami and I first admitted that we were in love with each other." Yugi answered.

"That's so romantic." Ryou said.

Marik and Bakura were making gagging noises.

Malik rolled his eyes. "Ignore them." Malik said.

"I normally do." Yugi said.

"I always do." Yami added.

The group started laughing.

Yugi and Yami went back out to mingle again.

"Happy, are you?" Amara asked as she and Aknankanon walked over to them.

"Yes, we are, Mom." Yami answered.

"Well, we are happy for you both. Just know that you can come and visit us any time you want." Aknankanon said.

"And the same goes for you." Yugi replied.

The celebration of the wedding went on all day, and when night fell, the celebrations came to an end.

Everyone either left the palace or went to their guest room for the night.

* * *

Yugi and Yami headed to their room.

"Well, I'm glad that that's over." Yami said.

Yugi turned to him. "Well, you didn't have to go through all of that." Yugi said.

Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi's waist as he kicked the door shut. "Now, I couldn't have done that. We wouldn't have been married otherwise." Yami said.

"Then stop complaining about it. It's over now, so there's nothing for you to worry about." Yugi said.

"True." Yami agreed. He then smirked. "Although there is one thing that we haven't done yet to make this day worth it." Yami said.

"What's that?" Yugi asked.

Yami leaned down and kissed Yugi passionately, making sure that Yugi knew just what Yami was talking about.

"Hmm." I think I get the point now." Yugi said as he wrapped his arms around Yami's neck.

"I thought that you would." Yami said as he tightened his arms around Yugi's waist.

**LEMON STARTS HERE!**

Yami leaned down and kissed Yugi again. He ran his tongue over Yugi's bottom lip, and Yugi opened his mouth to let Yami inside. Yami roamed around the inside of Yugi's mouth, getting Yugi to moan out in pleasure.

Yami's hands then crept up to Yugi's chest. He took the medallion off by unclasping it before throwing it to the side. He then began to unbutton Yugi's shirt. Once the shirt was completely unbuttoned, he pushed the cape, jacket, and shirt off of Yugi's shoulders, letting the clothing fall to the ground.

Yami then leaned down and started to nip at Yugi's neck. Yugi leaned his head to the side to give Yami more room, and Yami started to suck on the pulse point of Yugi's neck.

Yugi raised his hands and unzipped the vest before he unbuttoned Yami's shirt. He then pushed the cape, shirt, and vest off of Yami so that they fell to the floor with Yugi's clothes.

Pulling away from Yugi's neck, Yami looked at his work, smiling at the bruise that had formed. Yami then picked Yugi up bridal style."Ah! Yami!" Yugi exclaimed.

Yami chuckled. "I think that we're going to be more comfortable on the bed, Yugi." Yami explained.

Yami walked over and set Yugi down on the bed before he climbed onto the bed as well, straddling Yugi at the waist.

Yugi leaned back into the bed and smirked. "Well, aren't you going to do something?" Yugi asked.

Yami smirked back. "Oh, I'm going to be doing something all right, and you're going to be screaming my name by the time I'm done with you." Yami said.

Yami then leaned down and started to kiss Yugi down his neck.

Once Yami's reach Yugi's chest, he started to kiss every inch of Yugi's chest, loving the taste of the pale flesh. He licked, kissed, and nipped at every inch of Yugi's chest.

When he reached one of Yugi's semi-erect nipples, Yami took on into his mouth and started to suck on it.

Yugi arched up and cried out when Yami did this.

Yami sucked on the nipple until it was hard before he turned his attention to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment.

Once he was done with that, Yami started to kiss on Yugi's body. At his naval, Yami dipped his tongue in several times before he finished.

Unable to go any further, Yami sat back and unbuckled Yugi's pants before he pulled them and his boxers off and tossed them to the floor.

Yugi shivered as the cool air hit his heated member.

Yami gazed down at Yugi and smirked. "Someone's anxious, I see." Yami said as he leaded down ran a finger down Yugi's erect member.

"Yami! Please!" Yugi begged, not wanting to be teased that night.

"Turn over onto your stomach." Yami said.

Yugi blinked, surprised. This was new. "What?" Yugi asked.

"Turn over onto your stomach." Yami repeated.

Yugi had no idea why Yami wanted him to do that, but Yugi did it anyway.

Yami then leaned over Yugi and saw his unmarred back. 'Truly perfect.' Yami thought. He then leaned down so that his face was at Yugi's back before he licked up Yugi's back.

"Yami!" Yugi exclaimed as he arched up against Yami's tongue.

Yami chuckled as he continued to run his tongue over every inch of Yugi's back, savoring every moment. Yami then moved down and started to run his tongue up and down Yugi's thighs, wanting to taste every inch of Yugi.

Yami felt the growing tightness in his pants and knew that he needed to get out of them. Yami took off his pants as well as his boxers.

Yami then reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the vile of lube that was there. He took it and coated three fingers in the substance. He then placed one finger at Yugi's entrance, and his finger easily slipped inside.

Yugi arched up against the finger.

Yami started to move his finger around before he added in a second finger. Yami then started to move his fingers in a scissor-like motion.

Yugi was writhing and moaning under Yami's actions.

Yami smirked before he added in the third finger and rubbed against Yugi's prostate.

"YAMI!" Yugi cried out as he gripped the bed sheets tightly.

Yami continued to stretch Yugi for what he knew was coming.

Once Yami was done preparing Yugi, he gently took hold of Yugi and turned him over so that Yugi was back on his back again. "You know that I prefer to make love to you when I can see your face." Yami said.

"I know. You've told me that on more than one occasion." Yugi replied.

Yami reached for the lube so that he could prepare himself, but Yugi got to it before he could reach it.

"I'm going to prepare you this time, Yami." Yugi said. He then squirted some of the lube into his hand before he wrapped his hand around Yami's member and started to stroke him.

Yami groaned as he bucked his hips into Yugi's hand slightly. He loved the feel of Yugi's hand on him.

Yugi started to stroke Yami faster.

Yami groaned. He loved it when Yugi did this to him. Yami had to reach and grab Yugi's hand before he ended up coming then and there. "You little imp! Are you trying to finish me now?" Yami asked.

Yugi giggled. "No, but its sure fun to see that look on your face." Yugi answered.

Yami growled before he pinned Yugi to the bed. "All right, Yugi. Enough teasing." Yami said.

Yugi knew what that meant and spread his legs. Yami settled between Yugi's legs and positioned himself at Yugi's entrance.

Yami laced their fingers together before he said, "Ready?"

Yugi nodded.

Yami then thrust into Yugi to the hilt.

Yugi arched his back and cried out when Yami did that.

Yami held still for a few moments to give Yugi time to adjust.

Yugi, however, grew impatient. "Yami, move already!" Yugi hisses.

Getting the hint, Yami pulled out until only the tip was left in before he thrust back in hard.

Yugi arched his back and wrapped his legs around Yami's waist.

Yami started to move at a fast, hard pace.

"YAMI!" Yugi cried out when Yami hit his prostate.

Smirking, Yami started to aim for that spot, thrusting in Yugi's prostate over and over again.

Yami could soon feel himself starting to reach his end, so he reached between their sweating bodies and grasped Yugi's member, starting to stroke him in time with his thrusts.

Yugi cried out at the feeling of Yami's hand on him.

When Yami ran his thumb in the slit of Yugi's member, Yugi lost it. "YAMI!" Yugi cried as he arched up and released all over Yami's hand as well as their chests and stomachs.

Yami felt Yugi's walls clamp down tightly on him. Yami hissed at the tightness as he managed to thrust into his husband a few more times before he also released. "YUGI!" Yami groaned as he released inside of Yugi.

The two were tense as they rode the waves of their orgasms.

**LEMON ENDS HERE!**

Yami collapsed on top of Yugi.

Both were sweating and panting as they recovered from their lovemaking.

Yami raised up and pushed Yugi's sweaty bangs out of his eyes. "I don't know about you, but I think that that was incredible." Yami said.

"I thought so, too." Yugi replied.

Yami pulled out of Yugi before he rolled over to the side to lay beside Yugi. "Well, I know that I can say this. I am very happy now that we are married. We get to spend the rest of our lives together." Yami said.

"I know." Yugi said as he cuddled up next to Yami.

"I can't wait to get started on the rest of our lives." Yami said.

"Neither can I, although if it's all right with you, I'd rather we didn't have kids any time in the near future. I'd like to wait a while." Yugi said.

Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi. "As long as it doesn't mean we can't make love anymore." Yami said.

"Don't worry. I know when I could get pregnant and when I couldn't. We'll just have to avoid the times I could." Yami said.

"How long is that?" Yami asked.

"Usually a three-day period." Yugi answered.

"Hmm. I can live with that." Yami said.

Yugi smiled. "Good." Yugi replied.

The two then settled down to go to sleep.

* * *

Hope you liked it.

Next: Heba has his and Atemu's baby. Also is the last chapter for this story.

R&R.


	24. The Baby

Here's the next chapter. Here's the last chapter of this story.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 24- The Baby

~Five Months Later~

Yugi and Yami were in a meeting of the court.

Everyone had quickly adjusted to the fact that Yami was also an Emperor of the Millennial Kingdom, and everyone gave him the same respect that they showed to Yugi.

Firestar was now the guardian to both Yugi and Yami. Although he hadn't been forced to save the two from any assassination attempts, he was prepared just in case someone tried to do something.

Yami was thankful when all of the business that was needed for that day was over with.

Yugi and Yami called the meeting to an end, and the two left the throne room.

"Well, that was an eventful day." Yami said sarcastically.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Come on, Yami. You know that we have to deal with all kinds of business that involves the kingdom, and I know that most of it is uneventful, but it's just something that we have to do." Yugi told his husband.

"I know, Yugi. I know. It doesn't mean that I like it." Yami said.

"Neither do I, but we have to do these things." Yugi said as he opened the door to their office.

The two had decided to just share Yugi's office instead of having two separate offices. Of course, that meant that the two didn't always do their work, and they always made sure that the door was locked just in case someone happened to come in while they were preoccupied by each other.

Yami followed Yugi into the room and closed the door before he grabbed Yugi and pushed him against the door, capturing Yugi's lips with his own.

Yugi leaned into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Yami's neck.

The two soon broke apart.

"You have no idea how much I love you." Yami said as he nuzzled Yugi's neck.

Yugi smiled. "I know, Yami. You do realize that we have work that we need to do." Yugi said.

Yami groaned. "Must you ruin everything?" Yami asked.

Yugi laughed. "Well, I'll tell you what. The sooner we get all of the work done, the sooner we can have some fun." Yugi said.

Yami looked up and smiled at Yugi seductively. "I'll hold you to that, Yugi." Yami said. He didn't bother trying to hide the lust in his voice.

"All right. Get your mind out of the gutter and onto business. We do have a kingdom that we need to run." Yugi told Yami, hoping to get Yami's mind off of sex.

"Okay. What all do we have to do?" Yami asked.

The two then sat down and got to work.

* * *

~Egypt~

"DAMN IT, ATEMU! I AM FINE! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" Heba shouted at the top of his lungs.

Atemu dashed out of the room and slammed the door shut, hearing the book crash against the door. He had barely gotten the door shut in time.

Atemu let out a sigh of relief. "That was a close one." Atemu muttered.

"Problem, cousin?"

Atemu turned to see Seto standing there. "Yeah. He's a monster when he's pregnant." Atemu said.

"I HEARD THAT!" Heba shouted form inside their room.

"Let's go before you end up a dead man." Seto said as he grabbed Atemu by the arm and lead him away.

Atemu sighed. "Heba could have the baby at any time. Isis herself said that, so I'm a little worried." Atemu said as he ran a weary hand through his hair.

Seto rolled his eyes. "And I'm sure that smothering him is helping." Seto said.

Atemu glared at him. "I'm a little worried about him, all right. I just don't want anything to happen." Atemu said.

"Atemu, he is fine. Heba's resting and staying off his feet like Isis told him to do. He knows what the signs are that he's having the baby. All you can do now is wait until that time comes." Seto said.

"Well, I'm nervous. I'm going to be a father very soon, and I'm worried about it. I don't know the first thing about raising a child and being a father. I'm just worried that I'm going to fail." Atemu admitted.

There was a chuckle from behind them.

The two turned to find Aknankanon and Aknaudin standing there. Aknankanon was chuckling, and Aknaudin was snickering.

"What?" Atemu asked.

"Sorry. We heard Heba shouting from down the hall, and we wanted to make sure that you were still alive." Aknankanon said.

"I'm alive for now, although I might die waiting like this." Atemu said.

"And worrying like this." Seto added.

Atemu glared at his cousin.

"Atemu, being nervous and wondering if you're going to be a good father is natural. I know that I worried like that when you were born and when Yami was born." Aknankanon said.

"So, I'm going to feel like this every time Heba is pregnant." Atemu said.

"It depends. You and Yami were born only a year apart, so I didn't know what kind of father I would be. The point is that you do the best you can. That's all that you can really do." Aknankanon said.

"In truth, I think that wondering those things are all signs that every new father foes through. I went though them as well. You wonder about those things. Most of the time, when a man wonders if he'll be a good father or if he'll raise the child right, that is a sign that he will make a good father." Aknaudin added.

"It is?" Atemu asked.

"Yes. You might worry to death about this, but the truth of the matter is that you are going to be fine. Besides, you have people here who are more than willing to help you and give you advice when you need it." Aknankanon said.

"Now, if he could just stop trying to irritate Heba to the point that Heba wants to murder him." Seto said.

"That is inevitable. I'm afraid that that is something every new father does as well. You'll go from smothering Heba to smothering the baby. It'll be the baby you'll be paying the most attention to, and Heba will be craving the attention." Aknaudin said.

Atemu sighed. "I hope that you're right." Atemu said.

* * *

Heba was in his room, fuming. "The nerve of him! I am perfectly all right! He doesn't need to treat me like some kind of invalid! I am not incapable of doing anything!" Heba growled.

Heba was tired of Atemu constantly babying him.

Atemu was asking Heba all the time if he was all right, if he needed anything, or if he needed to get Isis. Atemu also did everything for Heba and wouldn't let him get out of bed for anything except to take a bath or to use the bathroom.

Heba was rather tired of the way that he was being treated.

There was a knock on the door.

"Heba, it's me." Amara said.

"Come on in." Heba called.

Amara walked in and found the book. She knelt down and picked it up before she walked on into the room. "Throw this at Atemu?" Amara asked, holding the book up.

Heba blushed. "Yeah. I was just so tired of him babying me that I sort of lost my temper. I yelled and then threw this book at him." Heba said as he took the book from Amara. "It didn't hit him, thought. He managed to get out the door and get the door shut first." Heba added.

Amara laughed. "I'm not mad, Heba. If anything, I completely understand why you did what you did." Amara said.

"You do?" Heba asked, surprised.

Amara nodded. "I threw a book or two at Aknankanon when I was pregnant with both Atemu and Yami. I know your pain. The men can be a little bit of a pain when you're right at the end of the pregnancy, more so when they are told that the baby could come at any time." Amara explained.

Heba sighed. "I just want to be treated like I can't do anything. It's annoying when he asks me every second if I need anything." Heba said.

"Heba, listen to the voice of experience. Enjoy the attention while you can." Amara said.

"Why?" Heba asked.

Amara sat down on the bed beside him. "Because once that baby comes, you won't get much attention. You'll be lucky if you get one kiss a day. Men turn into big softies when they have children. All of Atemu's attention will be on the baby once he or she gets here, so be prepared to lose all of the attention." Amara said.

Heba nodded. "Okay." Heba said.

"Good." Amara said. She laughed and said, "Another reason Atemu is so worried is because he's anxious. He doesn't know if he'll be a good father, and it has him scared." Amara said.

"How do you know that?" Heba asked, glancing at her curiously.

Amara chuckled. "Because Aknankanon admitted that to me after Atemu was born, and Aknaudin admitted the same thing. I think that it's something that happens with all men." Amara answered.

"Well, I guess I had better apologize to Atemu for acting the way I did." Heba said.

"I wouldn't. I would milk it for all it's worth. Enjoy the way he waits on you hand and foot." Amara said.

"Hmm. That's not a bad idea." Heba said.

Amara laughed as she patted Heba on the back. "Don't worry about anything, Heba. That baby will be here before you know it." Amara assured him.

* * *

A little while later, Atemu walked back toward his chambers. 'I hope that Heba's calmed down by now.' Atemu thought.

Tentatively, Atemu opened the door and walked in the room.

It was quiet.

Atemu walked on into the room and saw that Heba was laying on the bed on his side so that his back was facing Atemu. "Heba?" Atemu asked softly.

There was no answer.

"Heba, look I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I'm just worried." Atemu said, thinking that Heba was just still mad at him.

Heba still didn't respond.

"Heba?" Atemu asked, wishing that his husband would answer him.

It was then that Atemu noticed the slight snoring noise.

Walking around the bed, Atemu saw that Heba was sound asleep. 'So that's why he wouldn't answer me.' Atemu thought.

Deciding not to disturb Heba, Atemu left the room.

"Hey, Atemu!" Bakura shouted.

Atemu turned to find Bakura and Marik approaching him. "What do you two want?" Atemu asked.

"Still in the doghouse with your husband?" Bakura asked.

It was obvious that Bakura had been talking to Seto.

"No, I'm not. Heba's sleeping, so I thought that I would leave him alone." Atemu answered.

Marik snickered. "That and you're afraid that you're still in deep trouble." Marik said.

Atemu made a mental note to kill Seto for telling them all that later.

"So, what are you doing now?" Marik asked.

"I don't know yet. I'm going to let Heba sleep for a while." Atemu said.

"Wanting to stay out of trouble?" Bakura asked.

Atemu glared at Bakura. "Watch it, or I'll get you in trouble with Ryou." Atemu snapped.

"How are you going to do that without lying?" Bakura asked.

"Well, I seem to recall you starting a small fire in one of the unused offices and ended up nearly burning that entire area of the palace. I wonder how Ryou would react if he were to find out that you caused that." Atemu said with a smirk.

Bakura paled. He knew that Ryou would kill him if he found about that, not to mention the fact that Aknankanon would ground him for the next year.

Marik started laughing at his predicament.

"And I could tell about your involvement in that little incident." Atemu added.

Marik shrugged. "Malik won't care. He'd probably laugh his ass off if he knew about that." Marik said.

"I never said that it would be Malik I told. I could easily tell my farther about that." Atemu said.

Now, Marik stopped laughing, knowing he would be in as much trouble as Bakura would be if Aknankanon ever found out that they were the ones that started.

Aknankanon had been completely pissed off when he found out that the offices had been burned, even if they were unused. Once it was learned that that fire was started on purpose, but it seemed to have been a practical joke gone wrong, Aknankanon had blew. He had declared that he's murder the person that did that if he ever found out who the guilty party or parties were.

"Since you two know what I will do, I'll leave now." Atemu said. He then walked off with a smug smirk on his face.

Of course, Atemu did not intend to tell his father since he would also get in trouble for not telling his father sooner that he knew that Marik and Bakura were the ones behind that mess, but Bakura and Marik didn't know that.

* * *

~Millennial Kingdom~

Yugi and Yami had long since finished their work and were now laying on to couch in their office.

Yugi was laying on top of Yami, and the two were covered with a blanket that was kept in the office. Their clothes were strewn out all over the place.

"Hmm. I'm rather happy." Yami said as he ran his fingers through Yugi's hair.

"After three rounds, you should be happy. You're usually happy with just one round." Yugi said.

Yami chuckled. "Can I help it if I can't resist this body of yours?" Yami asked.

"Actually, you could help it if you wanted to." Yugi retorted.

Yami laughed. "Maybe, but I'm not going to stop now. You'll have to put up with this for the rest of your life." Yami said.

"Well, I can deal with that. It's not like I've got a choice now." Yugi said. He then sat up, letting the blanket fall off his back. "Come on. We should get on up and get dressed." Yugi said.

"Hmm. I have a better idea." Yami said, reaching for Yugi.

Yugi grabbed Yami's hands and pinned them to the couch. "Yami, you can reign your hormones in until we get to our room tonight. For now, you're going to have to live with three rounds. Someone could come by at any time, and I really don't want to have to get dressed in a hurry because someone is pounding on the door." Yugi said.

Yami sighed. "All right, Yugi. We'll get dressed." Yami agreed.

The two got up and got dressed.

There was a knock on the door only a few moments after the two had finished getting redressed.

Yugi gave Yami a look, which clearly said 'I-told-you-so'.

Yami shrugged. He really didn't care if someone caught them, but Yugi did and that was the only reason that he made sure they wouldn't get caught.

Yugi walked forward and unlocked the door before he opened it to find Solomon outside. "Hi, Grandpa. What is it?" Yugi asked as he stepped aside to let his grandfather into the room.

"Well, I came here to tell you that I just heard from Ryou that Isis has told Heba that he could have the baby at any time." Solomon said.

"Really?" Yami asked.

Solomon nodded.

"Well, I knew that he was getting close." Yugi said.

Solomon smiled. "Well, I thought that you two could go and stay in Egypt for a while until after Heba has the baby. I'm sure that they wouldn't mind in the least." Solomon said.

Yugi and Yami looked at each other before they looked back at Solomon.

"Are you sure that we can afford to take off?" Yugi asked.

Solomon chuckled. "I've made all the arrangements. They're expecting you." Solomon said.

Yugi narrowed his eyes on his grandfather. "How long have you been planning this?" Yugi asked.

Solomon laughed. "For a little while, yes. You two could use a little break, and I couldn't think of a better way than to let you two be there when your niece or nephew is born." Solomon said.

"What do you say, Yugi?" Yami asked.

"I say yes." Yugi answered.

"Well, let's get packed and go." Yami said.

The two then left the room.

Solomon smile. 'At least they are going to be getting some rest. They have been working way too hard lately.' Solomon thought.

* * *

~Egypt~

Atemu had gone back to his room and found Heba sitting in bed. "You okay, Heba?" Atemu asked wanting to make sure that Heba was calm.

Heba smiled. "Yes. I'm sorry I threw the book at you earlier." Heba said.

Atemu walked on into the room and sat down by Heba. "Well, I guess I need to calm down some. I'm just a little anxious about becoming a father." Atemu said.

Heba leaned against Atemu. "You're not the only one. We may not know how to raise a child, but we'll learn together." Heba replied.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come on." Atemu said.

Ryou poked his head in. "Hey, guys. Mind a couple of visitors?" Ryou asked.

"Why not?" Atemu said.

"Who are the visitors?" Heba asked, knowing that if it had been any of their friends, Ryou would have said 'company' instead of 'visitors'.

"Oh, just us." Yugi said as he and Yami look in.

"Yugi!" Heba exclaimed.

"Yami!" Atemu said in surprise.

The two walked on into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Atemu asked as he hugged his brother.

"Well, we thought we'd come for a visit." Yami answered.

"It's been a while since the last time we were able to see you in any case." Yugi added as he hugged Atemu.

"Well, I'm glad that you're here." Heba said.

"Bored?" Yugi asked.

"Out of my mind." Heba said.

"Well, I'll leave all of you so you can enjoy your time together." Ryou said before he left the room.

Yami and Yugi sat down with their brothers, and the two started to talk with them.

* * *

"I'm glad that Yami and Yugi are here." Amara said.

"Yeah. Maybe Yugi can help stop Heba from throwing things at Atemu." Aknankanon added.

"You know that Atemu does deserve that. I did it to you on more than one occasion during both pregnancies." Amara reminded him.

"Yes, and I began to dread the book." Aknankanon said.

Amara laughed. "I suppose I did overreact at times, but that was hormones." Amara said.

"That's why I was so glad when you had them." Aknankanon said.

Amara rolled her eyes. "You are horrible." Amara said, crossing her arms.

"I know." Aknankanon said. He kissed her on the cheek. "But you love me anyway." Aknankanon said.

"Yes, I do." Amara agreed.

* * *

Yugi and Yami had gone to get settled in their room.

"I'm glad that they're here. The last time we saw them was when we went to visit them a month ago." Atemu said as he sat down beside Heba.

"I know." Heba replied. He leaned back into the pillows with a hand resting on his stomach. "I'm glad that they're here. I'd like to have the family here when I have the baby." Heba said.

Atemu raised an eyebrow. "I hope that I'm the only one in the delivery room with you." Atemu said.

"Of course you are. I don't want everyone in the room when I have the baby." Heba said.

Atemu laughed. "I know that, Heba." Atemu said.

Heba glared. "Then stop saying things like that." Heba said.

"All right. Sorry. Sorry." Atemu said. He then headed for the bathroom. "I'm going to get a shower." Atemu said.

"All right." Heba said.

Atemu walked into the bathroom, leaving Heba in the room alone.

Heba heard the shower running a few moments later. He smiled as he rubbed his stomach. "Your daddy is crude at times, but he loves us." Heba said. He smiled as he felt the baby kicking.

Heba just lay there for a while.

A few moments later, the shower was turned off.

'Unless I shower with him, he's done in like five minutes.' Heba thought.

It was then that Heba felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and he felt something wet between his legs.

Heba's eyes widened as he realized exactly what was happening. "Atemu! Get in here!" Heba shouted.

Atemu ran into the room. His hair was damp, meaning he hadn't had a chance to dry it. "What?!" Atemu asked, alarmed.

"We have to go! My water just broke!" Heba said.

Atemu's eyes widened before he ran over and helped Heba up before the two headed for the healing chambers.

* * *

Yugi and Yami were unpacking the bags that they had brought.

"You know, I think that Grandpa had a good idea. We really did need a little break." Yugi said.

Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi's waist. "I know we did." Atemu said. He leaned down and kissed Yugi gently.

There was a sudden pounding on the door.

"Yugi! Yami! Get out here now!" Joey shouted.

The two ran over to the door.

Yugi opened the door. "What is it, Joey?" Yugi asked.

"Come on. Heba just went into labor." Joey said.

Yugi and Yami immediately followed Joey down the hall.

When they reached the healing chambers, they found that everyone else related had arrived.

"How is he?" Yugi asked.

"He just went into labor a little while ago." Amara said.

* * *

Heba was in the room, trying to give birth.

Isis a few of her helpers were helping Heba along.

Atemu was standing beside Heba, holding his hand.

"All right, Heba. I need you to push." Isis said.

Heba did as he was told and started to push, squeezing Atemu's hand tightly.

Atemu hid his wince at the pain and instead focused on Heba, who he knew was in pain. He used the wet cloth and did as Isis had told him to and was wiping the sweat from Heba's forehead.

"You're doing fine, Heba." Isis assured him.

~Four Hours Later~

Heba felt like he had been pushing for an eternity when it had been about four and a half hours.

"All right, Heba. One more big push and your baby should be here." Isis said.

Heba then pushed as hard as he could, squeezing Atemu's hand even harder than before.

Atemu winced, but kept on holding Heba's hand. "Come on, Heba. Can you do it." Atemu told his husband.

A few moments later, the sound of a baby crying filled the room.

Heba fell back against the mattress completely out of breath from labor.

Isis smiled as she looked at the baby. "It would seem that you two have a son." Isis said.

"A boy?" Atemu asked.

Isis nodded. She brought over the baby and handed him to Heba.

The baby boy had star-shaped tri-color hair with blonde lightening streaks in his hair, He had Atemu's sharp features, but his eyes were amethyst, like Heba's were. He also had deeply tanned skin.

Heba smiled. "You can tell that he's our son." Heba said.

"I agree." Atemu said.

Isis cleared her throat, catching the new parents' attention. "If you don't mind, I do need a name for the records." Isis said.

Atemu and Heba smiled. They had already chosen a name for a boy or a girl.

"We decided that we'd name him Alexander. He'll be called Alex for short." Heba said.

Isis nodded as she wrote it down.

* * *

After a while, the family was let in to see them.

"Aww! He's so cute." Amara said as she looked at her grandson.

"Thanks." Heba said.

"So, what did you guys decide to name him?" Bakura asked.

"We had already agreed on the name Alexander. We'll call him Alex for short." Heba explained.

"I think that that's a great name." Yugi said.

"Well, there's no doubt whose son he is." Marik stated.

"Come on, Marik. Knock it off." Malik said.

"It's fine, Malik. I'll remember this for when you two decide to have kids." Atemu said.

The group laughed.

"Well, we have a new prince in the kingdom now." Aknankanon said.

* * *

Heba had to stay in the healing chambers during the night as did Alex, so Atemu stayed with him.

Alex was currently asleep.

"So, what do you think?" Heba asked.

"I think that he's the most beautiful baby I have ever seen." Atemu said. He then laughed. "Of course, I'm a little biased since he is my son." Atemu said.

"I thought that, too." Heba replied.

"One thing's for sure. Now that he's here, I'm even more anxious about raising him." Atemu said.

"Well, we may be that worried, but we've got people who can help us out." Heba said.

"True." Atemu agreed.

Heba was still rather tired from giving both, so it wasn't long before he fell asleep.

Atemu smiled as he looked at Heba. "Goodnight, Heba." Atemu said before he also lay down to sleep.

* * *

~One Week Later~

Yugi and Yami had stayed for a week before they decided that they had better go back to the Millennial Kingdom.

"Wish that you two could stay longer." Atemu said.

"Yeah, but we have a kingdom to run, so we need to get back." Yami said.

"Don't worry. We're going to be coming back more often." Yugi said.

Heba rolled his eyes. "Yes. To see Alex, no doubt." Heba said. He was holding the infant in his arms.

"At least they're going to be coming more often." Amara said.

"Anyway, bye." Yugi said.

Yugi and Yami said their goodbyes to everyone before they left through a portal to the Millennial Kingdom.

Heba looked down at his son and smiled.

Things certainly looked good for them at the time.

None of them could be happier.

Everything seemed to be going good for them all at the time.

* * *

Hope you liked it. This was the last chapter of this story, so I hope you enjoyed this story.

I'll start on the last part in this trilogy. It's going to be called Path to Happiness: Elemental Magic. Look out for that one.

R&R.


End file.
